A new £15million distillery for Stirling – which was refused by council planners – could be thrown a lifeline.
Members of Stirling Council’s local review body panel - which considers planning appeals - are to visit the proposed Wolfcraig Distillery site and invite the applicants and objectors to address them at a hearing.
At a panel meeting yesterday (Tuesday), the three members - councillors Douglas Dodds, Margaret Brisley and Jen Preston - felt the bid was too significant to decide there and then.
The planning application includes a distillery and visitor centre for the production of whisky and other spirits, a still house, workshop, distillery shop, events space, cafe, restaurant and car and coach parking plus a new access road on land 465 metres south of Craigforth.
Council planners refused the application earlier this year saying the scale and nature of the restaurant/café, event space and shop was likely to “detract from the offerings within Stirling city centre” and that there was “insufficient information” to back the applicant’s claims of city centre benefit.
They also cited the “sensitive location”, saying the proposal would be “a significant intrusion into the open landscape”.
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Developers Wolfcraig have claimed the distillery and visitor centre would be a “visitor destination target” for tourists to Stirling and could generate a staggering £1billion knock on effect for the local economy over the next decade.
Stirling’s MP Alyn Smith has also voiced support for the distillery.
Some neighbours, however, are less than enthusiastic about the development.
North Kersebonny Residents’ Housing Association objected to the application on behalf of 10 owners at nearby North Kersebonny Steading citing grounds including that the character of the area would be irreversibly changed.
They reiterated their concerns during the appeal process.
In a further submission for the review body panel, they described the application as “unacceptable”, adding: “The concerns we have are many, and the impacts from the development will be significant. As such, we hope the council will refuse it.
“We do not see any merits in the scheme, design or otherwise, and, whilst it may lead to a few new jobs, these are insignificant in number, and are certainly not of a magnitude that would override the many serious flaws.
“The NKRHA wish to object on a number of grounds relating to: alternative sites; access; flood risk; water supply; heritage, landscape and visual impact; noise, light pollution and odour pollution; the potential for the use to discolour buildings; and fire risk.”
In their appeal, agents for the developers, who dispute the relevance of many of the grounds for objection, said: “The proposed development involves a significant direct investment in Stirling of circa £18m and the creation of up to 50 jobs through the erection of a distillery and visitor centre alongside ancillary buildings and associated landscaping and infrastructure on land at Craigforth Campus.
“The proposals will act at as a major attraction bringing visitors to the distillery which is likely to result in spin off benefits for Stirling and its city centre in the form of increased footfall and longer dwell times.
“This should be considered a positive for the wider city as the recovery from the Covid pandemic continues.
“The proposals will result in limited displacement of jobs from elsewhere in Stirling, ie the city centre. This is on account of the proposals being put forward focusing on a distillery pitch. The goods and services available are directly linked to the distillery. There is currently no similar offer available in locations such as Stirling city centre.
“The distillery concept proposed has already achieved a wide geographical spread of interested parties and the comments made by the council appear to underestimate the broader appeal and global reach of Scotch Whisky.”
Review body chair Councillor Dodds said yesterday: “Because this is such a large application - the biggest I have looked at since I have been a councillor - and in fairness to the parties and Stirling Council as there are fors and againsts, I would like to give a hearing to both the applicants and the objectors.”
Councillor Brisley said she would like a site visit, which was also agreed by the other two panel members.
