Luss and Arden campaigners reject Luss Estate proposals

Luss Estates Company has put out its masterplan for the next 10 years and highlighted a number of changes ranging from housing to managing visitors and commercial opportunities.

But despite cheering that it had consulted widely and worked with the local community, Luss and Arden Community Council (LACC) told the organisation they were on opposite ends in many aspects.

The "Land Use & Development Plan", put together by architects Page/Park, said residents in Luss and Arden told highlighted concerns for the area:

• There is a shortage of affordable housing, in contrast to a high proportion of holiday lets;
• Retaining young people in the community is a challenge;
• There is a shortage of workers;
• Visitor and loch management is a critical issue;
• There can be no new tourist draws in the village;
• The village is 'full';
• There needs to be a focus on the community, not tourists.

Luss Estates distilled that down to three key principles: retain and attract families, strengthen the local community, and manage visitor pressure.

In its proposals for the area, Luss Estates wants to "divert visitors" from the village core in Luss to "alternative activities". That includes a new end point for the Fairie Trail that would redirect 40,000 visitors away fron the village centre to the car park.

Luss already has planning granted for six light industrial units and Luss Estates wants this changed to residential for social housing. It also wants to change plans for a museum into residential housing Both are support "population grown and to divert visitors from Luss village core".

A proposed commercial development at the Hill of Camstradden could also divert visitors from the village, and possibly link to Beinn Dubh.

Three houseboats for holiday let have been given permission and Luss Estates wants to change it to five.

They also want to increase the off-road caravan pitches of about 50 in number.

There are also plans for new toilet facilities. If the rescue boat moves from Luss to Balloch due to congestion on the A82, Luss Estates said the building could be mixed use and include public toilets and litter picking.

Any proposed distillery building in Luss would also include public toilets, say the plans.

Luss Estates concluded: "Luss Estates Company will continue to support communities across the estate, and to this end is seeking to align as closely as possible the aims of the Estate’s Plan with those of the two pocal place plans."

But the community council has raised a number of concerns. It said it would only support a "limited number" of new affordable homes. As a rural community, it would "not seek or need Luss and Arden to be turned into a 'New Town'".

It also wants "permanent resident restrictions", not "aims" for them. Housing, it said, needed to be an approach across Argyll and Bute Council, and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

It is understood that, as of May, there were 13 applicants on the register to live in Luss. Seven were assessed as having some sort of need.

And Luss Estates has consent for 29 units across the council area, but none have been developed, said LACC.

The community council voiced its opposition to housing estates anywhere in the countryside across Argyll and Bute.

It called plans to "divert" visitors as "generally unacceptable and unrealistic". Instead, the changes will add to the problem.

LACC, in the formal response to Luss Estates, said: "Luss has already been turned into a visitor attraction in the eyes of many residents and whilst many in the community want to turn back the clock and get their community back, that will not be possible.

"It is however possible not to encourage or support anything that we consider adds to the problem and causes further damage to our community."

It concluded: "Overall, the community council do not share your vision, quite the opposite in places. We seem to disagree on housing, visitors, holiday homes, visitor-related developments of attractions and facilities and elements of traffic management.

"The top six dislikes from our community survey in 2022 were: anti-social behaviour; excessive tourism; A82 congestion, safety and noise; poor public transport; Luss and Aldochlay parking and traffic; holiday lets and lack of affordable homes.

"Apart from the public transport element we feel that many of your draft proposals will simply make these issues worse for Luss and Arden and as such cannot be supported by the community council."

Luss Estates has been approached for comment.