Loch Tay pods plan could boost outdoors lovers

Proposed new development at picturesque get-away

Walkers and cyclists in Perthshire could be set to benefit from plans to expand a popular Loch Tay get-away with new pods and overnight options.

Bracken Lodges, which currently operates eight detached self-catering lodges on the lochside, hopes to add 5 pods, motorhome pitches and a shower block to its existing offering.

The long-established and popular business, offering guests spectacular views to Ben Lawers, is on the periphery of the Rob Roy Way and National Cycle Route and sits within 40 acres of parkland.

Around 3000 walkers use the waymarked trail annually with over 43m trips taken each year on the long-distance cycle path.

These adventurers could soon have new short-stay accommodation options, should planners grant permission for the development at Ardtalnaig.

The proposed siting of the development

Low carbon tourism

Bracken Lodges’ owners Patrick and Fiona Palmer also want to build a worker residence for son Gareth, who is already assuming key responsibilities within the family business.

Presently, the company’s model is catering for longer stay guests but the move to additionally provide shorter and overnight stay options and facilitate low carbon tourism will add resilience to the business and meet evolving demand.

The proposed site lies close to the River Tay Special Area of Conservation and will carry conditions around construction, to avoid run-off into the watercourse.

The plans, submitted on behalf of the company by Interurban Developments Ltd, detail measures to improve biodiversity through tree and hedgerow planting as well as meadow sowing while the project will require a Sustainable drainage system and a new access.

Housing shortage

The need for the worker dwelling underlines the difficulty, already highlighted in Perthshire Business News’ pages, of obtaining housing for workers within rural Perthshire.

The plans point to ‘acute’ pressure on the local housing market due to second home ownership, exacerbated by properties being bought up for the Taymouth Castle development at nearby Kenmore.

According to the planning statement, the proposals represent a ‘proportionate and logical diversification’ of an existing rural business and ‘responds to identifiable demand from walkers and cyclists seeking short-stay accommodation’.

The worker residence, which will enable a consistent on-site presence, will also provide ‘limited bed and breakfast use’, as per the needs of the business.

Active tourists heading out into the hills and routes of Perthshire will be keeping an eye on progress, as they plan visits to the region for 2027.