Glamping fit for the five-star expectations of modern travellers is set to arrive on Skye – despite parking concerns.
Highland councillors yesterday approved plans for a 27-pod glamp site – as yet unnamed- with restaurant, whisky bar, outdoor plunge pool and sauna on Struan Road in the outskirts of Portree.
The upmarket development is by London estate agents Garton Jones, who are stepping out of territory like Chelsea, Pimlico and Battersea to undertake their second development in Skye.
Owner Charlie Garton-Jones and his wife Miranda have also transformed The Cowshed hostel in Uig into a boutique bunkhouse with luxury pods.
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The new development will be laid out in the natural contours of the landscape.
The luxury pods will be the equivalent of en-suite bedrooms, placed in four clusters around the upper part of the site.
Lower down is the hub, containing restaurant and bar, and the sauna and pool building.
The complex is contemporary in design, featuring curved walls, natural stone, lots of glass and a ‘living’ turf roof.
Parking for 58 cars is planned, giving councillors cause for concern about traffic pressures on Struan Road.
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Local councillor John Gordon pointed out the proximity of development to the Gaelic school, West Highland College UHI and the shinty club.
He said: “One of the biggest issues is the junction between Struan road and the Dunvegan road, and Struan residents feel they aren’t being listened to with regard to development along this road.”
Transport planners pointed out that holiday traffic has different patterns from local movement, and that a new footway to the junction is a condition of the development, with plans to reduce the speed limit to 20mph.
Councillor Calum MacLeod said the application would contribute to Skye becoming a luxury destination.
He said: “It’s good five pods are being built for staff accommodation, hopefully it won’t deter the developer from employing local people.”
Mr Garton-Jones attended the planning meeting.
He said: “We intend to create somewhere quite special and slightly unusual.
“If you go on holiday to a beautiful place like Skye, you want to feel part of the landscape. They love the rugged romance of the Highlands, as long as it stops at the front door of their accommodation.”
