Land Sale Caution – Little America, Gartocharn

Plots of land on the east side of Gartocharn are being offered for sale. The sale particulars show the plots laid out as a housing development. No planning permission has been granted for this housing development and in the event of a planning application being made it is highly unlikely to be approved.

In 2010, Gordon Watson, then director of planning made the following statement.

“This land is in a highly sensitive area overlooking Loch Lomond and is not currently allocated for development in our emerging local plan.

“The plots do not have planning permission and are highly unlikely to receive permission to build housing on the site.

“We have had no communication or representations from the owner who is marketing the plots.

“Had they contacted us, we would have advised them about the unlikelihood of getting planning permission for residential use.”

He also urged anyone interested in purchasing a plot to contact the national park first.

Following recent illegal engineering works on one of the plots, Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park have served a Stop Notice. Stuart Mearns, director of planning made the following statement.

“As the planning authority we have consulted extensively on the preparation of our current Local Development Plan, which identified the main sites for the National Park’s future development needs. This plot is part of a wider site which would collectively be a significant development. We first became aware of the marketing of these plots over 10 years ago and it is really concerning that plots have been purchased with the expectation that development is possible. It would appear there is a risk of others starting to works on their plot, not fully aware of planning requirements given the marketing.”