Andy Murray has been told he needs to accommodate more than just paying guests if he is to be allowed to expand his luxury hotel.
Murray and wife Kim own the five-star Cromlix Hotel, which is situated near the tennis star's home town of Dunblane, Scotland. They have applied to build woodland cabins on the grounds of the hotel, which they bought for £2million in 2013, in order to expand their business.
The couple wants to build nine cabins for additional guest accommodation, as well as additional parking and roads. But surveys of the site have turned up some problems, one of which is bats.
A building on the hotel’s grounds, which has been earmarked to become a storage facility, has evidence of roosting soprano pipistrelle bats. Bats are a protected species in the UK and it is illegal to disturb their habitat.
Stirling Council has granted planning permission, but the Murrays have to ensure that the resident bats are not harmed in any way.
That means that, before work can be carried out, they will need to get a licence from NatureScot, find a suitable alternative area and agree to install bat-friendly lighting and a bat box.
A report from planning officials reads: "Given the presence of roosting bats, it will be necessary to obtain an appropriate licence from NatureScot Licensing Team before the planned works can be undertaken on this building.
"The report recommends a single wood crate bat box should be installed to compensate for the loss of these roosts and to provide a translocation area for soprano pipistrelles and the use of bat-friendly lighting."
An objection to the plans has also been filed on behalf of the local branch of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, which points out the threat of “the loss of irreplaceable habitats”, citing swans, frogs, toads and bats as animals which would be particularly impacted by the development.
They state: “The lodges will generate light at night in what has previously been a dark environment. Presumably, the access paths to each lodge will be lit. Stray light has been shown to be damaging to night flying moths (as well as bats which feed on them). The use of bat-friendly lighting will not completely mitigate against this.”
The Murrays bought the hotel in 2013 and two years later held their wedding reception there after getting married at Dunblane Cathedral. Elder brother Jamie was also married at the luxury hotel, which has won industry awards.
Interestingly, the latest hitch with his hotel plans is not the first time that bats have affected Murray’s life. Back in 2018, he had to use specially designed tiles on the roof of his mansion in Leatherhead, Surrey, in order to allow bats access to the loft.
