Plans to create tourism and boatyard facilities in a Moray village are to be challenged for a second time by a local pressure group.
Campaigners in Portgordon are set to lodge a raft of objections on a renewed bid to create a boatyard facility and cafe in the village.
Landowner Gemma Campbell originally submitted plans for these and new homes on the shorefront, as well as an array of solar panels to help power the project. Ms Campbell had consulted extensively with local residents, however, following objections from the newly created ‘Save our Portgordon Beach’ group she withdrew her original proposals.
Now the group say they will oppose new plans that do not include the homes, despite their having failed to attract enough support from the community to launch their own buyout of the land.
Following an earlier meeting with Moray’s MSP Richard Lochhead, Ms Campbell agreed to discuss selling land to the community under the Stottish Government ‘Community Right to Buy’ scheme.
The new plans lodged by Ms Campbell are for a cafe alongside the existing icehouse in the village, aimed at creating a focal point for people visiting the picturesque village. The layout of the cafe was altered following comments made after the initial application had been made.
Pringle George, who chairs the ‘Save Portgordon Beach’ group, has said that they will launch further objections to the plans, adding: “The older residents in the village have stated that the lower half will disappear in the next 50 years as erosion on the west beach has lost the road to Spey Bay, tennis courts and a good walkway.”
Ms George added that their grounds for objection include drainage, parking, noise, poor design, additional traffic and road design.