A salmon expert, a community council and Sepa have raised objections to a bid to build a holiday park on the site of a Mearns “pig graveyard”.
The contaminated former piggery at Dowrieburn in Luthermuir is the subject of an application to build 57 chalets by one of the men behind the unauthorised St Cyrus Travellers’ site.
Dr Richard Shelton headed the government’s Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory at Pitlochry from 1982 until 2001 and is a former Research Director of the Atlantic Salmon Trust.
He has objected to a controversial bid for 57 holiday chalets at the site of a derelict piggery in Luthermuir after raising serious concerns about the impact on salmon and trout populations.
Mearns Community Council has also lodged an objection as it does not consider the application from Monarch Leisure and Park Homes to be “appropriate or beneficial to the community” .
Meanwhile, Sepa has objected on the grounds of “a lack of information on flood risk, waste water drainage, surface water drainage and works adjacent to the water environment”.
Dr Shelton said: “I am not convinced that a development on this scale, which dwarfs the housing in its vicinity, is appropriate on a single track road with two narrow, weak bridges, even were additional passing places provided.
“As the former Head of the Scottish Freshwater Laboratory at Pitlochry, I am also seriously concerned that the large quantity of high BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) effluent which 57 chalets and ancillary buildings would produce, could be treated to a high enough standard to safeguard the salmon and trout populations which use the Dowrie Burn for spawning and juvenile development.”
Biochemical oxygen demand is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic biological organisms to break down organic material present in a given water sample at a certain temperature over a specific time period.
Monarch Leisure and Park Homes director William McDonald is associated with the unauthorised Travellers’ site at North Esk Park in St Cyrus which is currently the subject of an ongoing Scottish Ministers’ investigation.
The new proposals involve the demolition of a derelict piggery at Dowrieburn near Fettercairn and the creation of “an environmentally-friendly holiday destination”.
The 27-acre site will include 57 chalets surrounded by landscaped grounds, country walkways, fishing ponds and a nature observation tower.
Community councillor Susie Brown said: “Mearns Community Council does not consider this application to be appropriate or beneficial to the community.
“While understanding the economic benefits of encouraging tourism in the Mearns, we do not believe this to be a suitable location for a caravan site/holiday park.
“We recognise that the old piggery buildings are a dilapidated eyesore but we do not consider that a development of this type and size is either suitable or acceptable at this location.”
The community council also objected on the grounds of access issues; wildlife implications; flood risk; scale of the development; and the application being outwith the Local Development Plan.
It has also advised that it wishes to make representation to the Area Committee on this application when it goes before councillors.
A growing number of local residents have also lodged letters of objections to the plans including David Nelson who said the rural road network is unsuitable for an increase in traffic and pedestrians.
In submitting the application, the developer said it has “taken account” of concerns expressed by nearby residents regarding safety on the narrow C-class road surrounding the site.
The Dowrieburn site was the subject of a similar application for holiday lodges last year by Monarch Leisure and Park Homes.
However, the previous application was withdrawn after residents voiced their concerns.
