Park of Keir has been saved !!!

Fantastic news: Park of Keir has been saved.

A wonderful piece of woodland, just off the A9, between Bridge of Allan and Dunblane will not now be luxury housing.

Developers claimed it was a legacy tennis facility for Andy Murray but it was  everything about luxury housing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce9z1rmym0zo

And here’s a photo of my sons (aged 8 and 5 at the time) bivvying in those woods – surrounded by blue bells.

Happy days 🙂

Indeed this was a Trojan horse for a developer and a white elephant as far as accessible sports facilities and Murray museum.

I’m pleased and relieved.

That said, the 50 bed hotel still has permission.

I’m disappointed for the wasted years of effort and hundreds of thousands wasted on consultant salaries instead of Judy taking the offer from Stirling university to host a community facility, or indeed to have supported local tennis clubs in Dunblane and Bridge of Allan.

Reported to social services.

Reported to social services

—laughing emoji–

Best not show mine riding bikes and climbing trees in that there set of woods then..

Brilliant. The media reporting on this just boiled my piss so much and all the hand wringing about needing (another) tennis centre as Andy’s legacy.

“frustrated at local indifference and opposition” – well what does that tell you?? Talk about lack of self awareness…

Ace news!

Definitely need to take in the trails there on a ride soon. Just maybe not tonight…

It is brilliant news…just need all the other development bits to follow suit now. Absolutely no idea why building on green belt was even contemplated. Redevelop existing spaces that needs pulled down and rebuilt, but don’t put a massively overpriced development in green belt and expect it to sail through.
I wonder if anyone has considered taking over the old Debenhams area in the Thistle Centre for this tennis thing? Plenty space for courts, accessible parking and great transport links pretty much to the door – bike, car, bus and train…

This is ace news. Judy Murray dressing up her exclusive housing development with its 9 hole golf course and a token tennis court as some sort of ‘sporting legacy’ was disgusting in my opinion. I’m glad that this area of beautiful, mature woodland has been saved, but, like Ally, I don’t think I’ll be riding there tonight. A bit soggy, methinks!

I think the 9-hole course became a 7-hole course as they wanted to build some more expensive houses – which surely was enough evidence that the sports parts was just a front and the idea really wasn’t valid from the start…

Something should be done for Andy (he has done very well for himself and his mum has done very well out of him)…but they could do something at Cromlix house (which they own) and then they’d have a bit more control over it.

So this was all a grift by Andy’s mum?

I’m glad any accessible woodland is saved for adventures

My grandparents had a caravan there.

I walked to bridge of Allen with my cousin’s through some of the woods. I was 10, sister and my cousins aged  8, 7 and 5. An hour next to the river with strick instrument to not let my cousins get wet. We had ,3 very aggressive poodles with us.

Met by my grandad and it was ice cream sandwiches all round at the ice cream Parlour to finish.

Sounds like something straight out of a famous 5 book, minus the racism.

I’m not sure I’d trust my (14 year old) nephew to take my kids an hour’s walk.

The caravan was next to the farm cottage my great uncle lived in. I went back 15 years later. What was a knackered old farm cottage had been turned into a full grad designs glass walled mansion with sweeping views of the countryside

I think the 9-hole course became a 7-hole course as they wanted to build some more expensive houses – which surely was enough evidence that the sports parts was just a front and the idea really wasn’t valid from the start

I saw a suggestion (haven’t fact checked though, apols) that the contractual sticking point that led (or contributed to) the abandoning of the development was that all the houses had to remain unoccupied until such time as the tennis centre was built.

If our local developers (Muir, Milne and one other, Robertsons perhaps) are anything to go buy, there was never actually any intention to build the tennis centre, just build the houses, take the money and run.

I saw a suggestion (haven’t fact checked though, apols) that the contractual sticking point that led (or contributed to) the abandoning of the development was that all the houses had to remain unoccupied until such time as the tennis centre was built.

That seems to be the sticking point.
So good on planners at Stirling Council for ensuring that was the case.

Now, when does Ann Gloag build in Gamekeepers Wood and Highfields?

So this was all a grift by Andy’s mum?

Probably an over simplification.  Its the usual local population versus developer battles, but the developer thought they had been clever by enlisting “Judy’s” support through a Murray legacy tennis facility.  Probably a really good facility – perhaps Dunblane is not the place that needs it most.  Some people seem to really dislike her even before this, no doubt a controversial move like this entrenches views either way.

he has done very well for himself and his mum has done very well out of him

Obviously a large part of it was his effort, but I don’t think we should underestimate the effort played by sports stars coaches and parents in the early years to make it happen.  I like to tell myself the reason I don’t have olympic medals is my parents didn’t put the work in!

Aye, sorry, my comment about him doing very well for himself wasn’t all around whatever money he has made – he is an olympic medal winner and won many tennis competitions – he has been a very very good tennis player (still is)…that doesn’t come without time and effort in bucketloads – and will be supported by parents/coaches, etc. I guess there is a strong argument to suggest that more is needed to support the development of more players – but that can be said for all sports.

However, we had the Tennis centre at Stirling Uni which had better transport links – although apparently the report on that has said it has failed and the Tennis people are moving the Tennis centre back down south – which probably doesn’t help the new tennis academy/centre/whatever at Park of Keir.

I guess there is a strong argument to suggest that more is needed to support the development of more players – but that can be said for all sports.

Absolutely – and is it needed in Dunblane?  Afterall the evidence is that Dunblane currently has the capability to turn out top level tennis players.  Classic survivor bias – reinforce the area that did OK anyway and ignore the bits that are dismal.

So good on planners at Stirling Council for ensuring that was the case.

I’ve seen the effects of council’s not doing this, so they should be recognised for applying common sense – but if the local are determined to save the woods it would be quite worrying if that was the only reason, another developer will be along in a few years time with a different plan who can either negotiate the right planning gain or skirt around it.

Indeed I’m all for a combination of a national tennis centre and a Murray legacy. Brilliant and all the good reasons why we should have one.

But Park of Keir has never, ever been remotely appropriate for such a facility.

It is a shame that locally we won’t have it. It would have created jobs and ongoing income. But the offer was made from both Stirling Uni and the area near the Peak by Stirling Council for the centre. Both turned down by King developers as there was money to be made from million pound mansions in a gated estate riding roughshod over Keir woods.

Absolutely – and is it needed in Dunblane?  Afterall the evidence is that Dunblane currently has the capability to turn out top level tennis players.  Classic survivor bias – reinforce the area that did OK anyway and ignore the bits that are dismal.

Think we are in agreement that this needs done everywhere  and for every sport (which isn’t easy, cheap and is very resource intensive – venues, time and people).

Very happy about this. I really agree that investment at Stirling uni would be a far better option, build on those excellent facilities and open them up more to the public.

Lots of ‘poor Judy after everything she has done’ and ‘tallest poppy in the field’ comments on Facebook unsurprisingly. The power of celebrity!

LTA have been sitting on £millions for years because of this luxury housing project.

And now the money can be spent:

“Tennis Scotland will soon be announcing an exciting team of national performance coaches for the SNPP, which will operate from a central hub at the Scottish National Tennis Centre at the University of Stirling, alongside provision in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

https://www.lta.org.uk/about-us/in-your-area/tennis-scotland/news/tennis-scotland-and-the-lta-agree-record-investment-in-scottish-performance-tennis/