principle of development

The Taymouth Castle Estate is constrained in its ability to accommodate additional development over and above the previously consented plans under the 2005 and 2011 planning permissions, and as updated through the various planning applications and discharge of condition applications being brought forward for the wider estate by the Applicant. The land to the north of the Castle is constrained by its important landscape setting, tree coverage, and flooding potential. Elsewhere within the wider estate, a significant proportion of the land is occupied for golf course purposes and is constrained further as part of the Designed Landscape designation.

The most logical location for the Back of House development is to the east within Newhall Wood, located directly to the east of the Taymouth Castle Estate. The area of the Wood located directly to the east of Taymouth Estate is characterised by heavily wooded landscape. However beyond the wooded landscape, the area changes character, context opening out into agricultural land, sloping from the south towards the River Tay to the north.

Vehicular access to the proposed site would be taken off the A827 via an upgrade to the existing access serving the East Lodge and forestry track. The access road leads onto the extensive internal forest road, which serves the majority of the Wood.

Planning permission was granted in 2013 for a caravan and camping site within the northern part of the Newhall Wood, approximately 150 metres west of a property known as Cromlechs fronting the A827. No tree felling was proposed, and PKC was satisfied that there would be no impact on any protected species (including pine martens). The visual impact was considered to be acceptable, being screened by the stone boundary wall and set within the woodland.