A Speyside couple fear they are in for a decade of misery while a whisky giant carries out a £100million distillery expansion just yards from their home.
Tim and Gaynor Barry are locked in a “David versus Goliath” battle with drinks firm Macallan over work on its plant near Craigellachie.
The couple claim they face 10 years of disruption while a cooperage and 10 warehouses, each 50ft tall, are built on a field across the road from their cottage.
Mr Barry, 55, says he unsuccessfully pleaded with Macallan owners, Edrington, to purchase his home prior to work getting started, and is now unable to sell it.
The company has piled a mound of earth in front of the property to block out construction noise, but Mr and Mrs Barry say it has had “no effect”.
Mrs Barry, 59, works from home crafting cuddly toys and says the constant “beeping, banging and droning” from heavy machinery usually goes on from 7am to 7pm.
Mr Barry has now accused Macallan of breaching the conditions Moray Council set out when it approved the scheme, by working overnight.
The couple are demanding the council force the firm to stick to the original guidelines, and have appealed for Macallan to limit their hours of working.
Last night, a Macallan spokeswoman denied any breach of regulations, and said the company was “keen to minimise disruption”.
But council officers say it “appears” that planning guidelines at the 86-acre complex have been contravened.
Mr and Mrs Barry relocated from Portsmouth to the rural spot west of Craigellachie seven years ago because they wanted to live in the quiet.
But now they say they have to put up with near-constant noise, and floodlights being beamed into their bedroom window disturbing their sleep.
Last night Mr Barry said: “We are in a David versus Goliath situation, but it feels like we don’t even have a slingshot.
“If a development like this was taking place in Elgin, near several homes, it could never go ahead because people would be up in arms.
“But as this only really affects me and my wife, it seems like that isn’t a problem and we can just be stamped on.
“An industrial estate is essentially being built in the heart of the countryside, and we have to face at least 10 years of this.”
A Moray Council spokesman said: “We are taking these matters up with the developer to ensure compliance with the conditions agreed within the planning application.
“It is not possible for the council to monitor developments continually, so if people are concerned about planning breaches -as would appear to be the case here – we would encourage them to
contact us.”
A Macallan spokeswoman said it was necessary for builders to work late while laying a concrete floor for the warehouses, due to the nature of the project.
She added: “We are sorry for any disturbance this work has caused to our neighbours, we will continue to make every effort to minimise this as much as possible.
“We believe we have complied with the council’s terms for the laying of the concrete floor, a process that must be done in a single day and which takes more than 12 hours.
“However, we are working with the council to confirm any additional steps that we can take to make sure that all future work and notification is carried out to their satisfaction.”
Macallan has launched the major expansion in an effort to boost its output over the next decade, and the new sheds will be used to store thousands of gallons of whisky.
