An eco village, wildlife sanctuary, adventure forest or environmentally friendly spa/hotel are just some of the uses being suggested for a piece of Perthshire land which was once deemed the perfect place to convalesce.
The 196-acre site, on the upper slopes of the eastern Ochils, near Milnathort, housed the Ochil Hills Hospital, built as a Sanatorium in 1902 and demolished in 2003.
Consisting of a woodland area, grazing land and open land suitable for housing with planning permission already in place for 35 houses, “Athron Hill” as it is known, now has strong eco credentials to its name with approx 20,000 trees having been planted to date; a licence in place to extract from two bore holes on the site, and a diverse mix of flora and fauna in evidence, including red squirrels and roe deer. There is also the potential for wind power. The site can be acquired as a whole or in three lots.
Will Scarlett, Director at Rettie & Co. who is marketing the site said, “The appeal of this site is undoubtedly its unique combination of privacy and connectivity.
“We want to highlight this piece of land to UK or overseas based eco hotel developers and specialist eco housing developers. Sites like this really don’t come up for sale very often. It has the biodiversity yet it is in an easily accessible location which also affords privacy.
“It would make an excellent base for certain charities or health care organisations if they wanted usable outside space for rest and recreation. Or a natural burial ground is another suggestion.
“It could be developed sensitively and in terms of a sustainable community, it could be developed on similar lines to the Findhorn Foundation in the North East of Scotland. The grazing land for example, could be used to raise cattle and sheep or for horticulture whilst the timber could also be used to generate an income.”
A wildlife charity could well be interested in developing the site in a similar way to what has been created at the RSPB Vane Farm Nature Reserve just a short distance away at Loch Leven.
“We are confident that Athron Hill can write itself another chapter which will safeguard its future for another generation,” concluded Will.
