Public urged to get back to nature on Scottish colliery site

Members of the public will get to have their say on a proposed 100-acre “eco-therapy” retreat on the site of a Scottish coal mine. The consultation will feed into a planning application for East Ayrshire’s Barony Colliery, near Auchinleck, which will include affordable glamping for 500 guests in a range of 344 villas, geodesic domes and tree lodges reminiscent of Baba Yaga’s house. The £100m Barony Eco-Therapy and Wellness Park is the creation of Barony UK, a joint venture between community interest company National Pride and IntroCrowd, which bought the site from Hargreaves Land in July last year. The 44ha, Scott Brownrigg-designed masterplan aims to be a “non-exclusive health and wellness destination” – or glamping without the high price tag – sweeping down to the Luger Water river to the north of the site. The plans also include a spa, exercise facilities, healthy eating cafes and mental relaxation areas. However, as Scott Brownrigg director Neil MacOmish pointed out, the site is not a blank canvas. As such it will also feature a mining heritage museum, to reflect the site’s origins and the B-listed Barony A-frame. The frame – or more correctly, the No3 Headgear – is all that remains of the original colliery, which closed in 1989. The gigantic steel structure once stood over the colliery’s main shaft. Barony’s plans include improvements to a memorial garden to the miners killed at the site, notably four whose bodies were never recovered after a shaft collapsed in 1962. Barony hopes to begin construction in Q3 2022, with it completing at the end of 2024. National Pride chair Irene Bisset said: “At the Barony we are committed to creating a destination that will provide significant community benefits to the area. Visitors can expect a safe, restful and enlivening environment in which to relax, rejuvenate and be healthy in mind and body, developing their mental and physical strength and personal resilience. “The support we have received to date for our proposals has been amazing and we look forward to have the local community not only view, but also continue to shape our scheme, both at this forthcoming digital consultation event and as our development progresses.” The web-based community consultation event will take place on 19 August, between 2pm and 7pm, at www.baronywellness.com/consultation. To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews Images by Scott Brownrigg courtesy of Barony UK