January 17 2024

A planned eco-wellness park in a former Ayrshire colliery has taken a step closer with the award of planning permission in principle.

East Ayrshire Council has given the green light to the leisure-led reimagining of the Barony Colliery in Auchinleck, billed as Europe's first 'nature based' wellness centre.

Detailed designs will now be drawn up for specific aspects of the scheme by Boomhaus, a Sheffield-based lodging specialist, for a series of scattered cabins set amidst indigenous flora.

Irene Bisset, chair of National Pride UK, commented: “We understand and accept the imposed Conditions including the mitigation of any adverse impacts on the biodiverse nature networks and the natural environment on this site, which we will achieve through careful planning and design."

A mining heritage centre will add to the tourism appeal of the site with a promise to embrace the latest renewable energy technologies, specifically to capitalise on geothermal energy from warm mine water. 

3 Comments

#1 Posted by Heidfirst on 17 Jan 2024 at 14:51 PM

A lot of conditions have been attached which a no. of the nature conservation (this site exceeds SSSI thresholds & they have been objecting.) NGOs believe can't be met. Additionally, there are concerns as to whether the bing is actually stable enough to be built on.

#2 Posted by The Heart of Saturday Night on 18 Jan 2024 at 10:55 AM

A wellness centre in Auchinleck?

This has got all the hallmarks of a dystopian Netflix series.

#3 Posted by Heidfirst on 18 Jan 2024 at 16:33 PM

the developers picked up the site (& one in Fife that they are also applying for a similar scheme) for a song. It's a glorified holiday camp or a very poor Center Parc ... ;)
Nobody objects to the potential economic gains for the area just that this is too good a wildlife habitat with many rare species that can't be easily mitigated for if at all.

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