ONE of Scotland’s richest women has been accused of employing a legal “attack dog” to challenge Judy Murray’s controversial plans for a multimillion-pound tennis and golf centre.
Ann Gloag, the 73-year-old co-founder of Stagecoach, owns a landowning company adjacent to the planned Park of Keir development on the outskirts of Dunblane.
The businesswoman is the only director of Arnbathie Developments, which wants to build 129 “self-contained and discrete” houses on its own site nearby.
Read more: Andy Murray attends public inquiry into mum Judy's tennis and golf centre
Ms Murray and the King Group of developers have earmarked a 12-court indoor and outdoor tennis centre, trainer golf course, a museum dedicated to her son Andy and Jamie’s successes and country park.
The proposal would be funded by 19 luxury homes and a 150-bedroom hotel, gym and spa close to the M9 and A9 junction.
Stuart MacGarvie, a chartered town planner representing Ms Gloag’s company, told a public inquiry in the Perthshire town yesterday that Ms Murray’s proposals failed to meet the criteria for a concept known as “enabling development”. This is where a construction that would otherwise be rejected is allowed, because it is the only means possible to fund something regarded as of public benefit.
Read more: Andy Murray attends public inquiry into mum Judy's tennis and golf centre
Mr MacGarvie said no off-site locations for the “enabling development” had been put forward by Mrs Murray’s Park of Keir Partnership group. He added the tennis centre, on greenbelt land, was “not sited in a sustainable location”.
He was asked by Mrs Murray’s solicitor, Neil Collar why it was in Mrs Gloag’s interest to object to Mrs Murray’s proposal.
He added: “Mrs Gloag doesn’t live on the site. And she doesn’t live in the local area, does she?”
Mr MacGarvie replied: “Depends how local, but no.” Mr Collar: “So why would Arnbathie object?”
Mr MacGarvie replied: “I have significant concerns about the impact of development on that site.”
Mr Collar suggested the reason why Mrs Gloag’s company had focused on the issue of “enabling development” was because if the Murray plans were refused on that basis it would not set “an awkward precedent” for her own site.
Mr MacGarvie replied: “I disagree. I can’t accept that premise.”
Read more: Andy Murray attends public inquiry into mum Judy's tennis and golf centre
He added: “Our concern is the extent of this development on the greenbelt.”
Mr Collar said: “You’ve not provided any comprehensive assessment to this inquiry.
“Your evidence is really a Trojan horse, to deliver Mr Innes [Colin Innes, solicitor for Arnbathie] as an attack dog, to give him the opportunity to undertake extensive cross-examination.”
Mr Innes labelled Mr Collar’s question as “completely, utterly outrageous and unprofessional” and said Ms Gloag had been smeared by the allegation.
The inquiry has now ended and a final decision is expected within months.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article