The former Comrie Colliery mining site is one step closer to being redeveloped with approval for plans that include an hotel, golf course, holiday homes, a visitor centre, care village and new houses.
Comrie Development Company Ltd had applied for permission for a major project for leisure and tourism, employment, retail, residential, renewable energy, open space, landscape works, paths and associated works for the 181 hectare site.
In a report to members of Fife Council’s west and central planning committee, planners said the site required "significant intervention" to rehabilitate it.
"It will not naturally regenerate to any acceptable standard," stated the report. "There is no public money available to come close to making good the damage done by the coal and other industries on this site.
READ MORE: Plans for hotel and golf course at old mine
“It’s private sector intervention that holds out any hope for this site to markedly improve in any medium term scenario.”
Despite the obvious challenges, Comrie Development Company Ltd believes it is up for the job.
“The development will address the significant need for restoration of the site, while providing economic and community benefits to the site and surrounding area,” a planning statement said.
The draft proposals outline plans for up to 420 chalet and holiday pod accommodation units, a 160-bed hotel, visitor centre, gym and spa, leisure facilities for the whole site, a multi‐purpose visitor centre, a par three golf course, outdoor active leisure and high amenity waterside lochan and event space for weddings and conferences alongside the hotel.
The company has also pitched between 300‐320 retirement properties providing a mix of housing in the form of retirement homes, sheltered housing, warden assisted living, and supported care.
READ MORE: Leisure and tourism at heart of Comrie Colliery proposals
This would sit alongside approximately 175‐185 units of medium and low density residential housing. These are designed to enable the development of the masterplan and site remediation, according to planning papers.
Other plans include a 5,000 sqm building for industrial use; a 2,500sqm garden centre paired with a 2,500sqm ancillary hospitality cluster for retail/leisure uses; and up to 100 hectares of renewable/solar energy development.
Nearly 50 hectares has also been set aside for greenspace in the form of a central park, a woodland, and a waterbody.
“The development will address the significant need for restoration of the site, whilst providing economic and community benefits to the site and surrounding area,” developers said in a planning statement.
The colliery isn’t the first former mine site in Fife to face regeneration. Once upon a time, Lochore Meadows was in a similar state of disrepair.
Now, Councillor Lea McLelland said the park is a jewel in Fife’s crown.
“I can remember Lochore Meadows - even though it was a long time ago and I was only a nipper - I can remember what it looked like prior to what it looks like now,” she said.
“The difference it has made to the community and the surrounding communities is tremendous.”
She added: “[Redevelopment] like this in an area where it’s been blighted and really hard hit with the closure of mines is something that can only be good for that area. I think this is a fantastic idea.”
According to planners, there “remains a great deal of detail to go through” in future full planning applications, but for now the council is happy that the proposals are in line with the local development plans and hold promise for the future.
Mining has taken place in that area, between Blairhall and Saline, since at least the 1860s and the site was occupied by Comrie Colliery from 1939 until 1986. All remnants of the coal industry have been demolished and removed, apart from one remaining pug shed.
Comrie Development Company (CDC) bought the sprawling site - it's over 440 acres, or around 220 football pitches, in size - in 2020.
To prepare the site for development, work to remove a former bing has been completed with more than 8,000 lorry loads of material from the site taken down to Low Valleyfield last year to cap the ash lagoons near Longannet.
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