The project was driven personally by Judy Murray, mother of Wimbledon and Davis Cup winner Andy Murray Credit: Flickr.com/andrewcampbell1
Judy Murray’s plans to build a multi-million pound tennis and golf centre near Dunblane, Scotland have been rejected by the local council.
Stirling Council refused planning permission for the 110-hectare project at Park of Keir, which would have included a tennis academy with six indoor and six outdoor courts, a six-hole-hole golf course, a luxury hotel and a tennis museum charting the career of Wimbledon winner Andy Murray – Judy Murray’s son.
It would also have created a new country park with a range of outdoor leisure activities – including a children's adventure play area and indoor leisure activities – and 19 residential units.
Despite receiving high-profile backing from the Lawn Tennis Association, Scottish golf hero Colin Montgomerie and even Sir Alex Ferguson, the proposals were thrown out by five votes to three by the council’s Planning and Regulation Panel.
The panel said it had refused the project as large parts of it would have been built on greenbelt land.
Driven by Murray and the Park of Keir Partnership (PKP), the project was described as a "once in a lifetime" opportunity for local grassroots sport and the local economy.
In a statement, PKP said: “The vision was to build Scotland’s first purpose-built tennis and golf facility for families to enjoy sport and leisure time together.
"We are obviously extremely disappointed by the decision. We felt we put forward a strong case for a sports facility of national significance.
"We want to take time to reflect on the decision before deciding the next steps."
Background• First announced in 2009, the Park of Keir project first ran into trouble in September 2014 when Claire Milne, principal planning officer at Stirling Council of Stirling Council’s planning office said that it could not support plans for the creation of the Park of Keir sporting hub in Scotland.
A 10-page report written by Milne outlined concerns over proposed high-end housing being built to help fund the project, which would potentially fail to cater for affordable housing needs in the area.
Objections also came in the form of environmental issues, with the site being proposed on the110 hectares of farmland and woodland between Bridge of Allan and Dunblane.
