Developer consults on proposed St Ninians leisure park

Proposals to develop an ‘eco-wellness’ and leisure park at the site of the former St Ninians open cast mine are being progressed by developers, National Pride (St Ninians).The aim of the proposed park is to provide places for relaxation and rejuvenation, while also providing local economic benefits through leisure, entertainment and tourism. Education and training opportunities, especially for vulnerable adults, will be included and the project should create employment and supply chain opportunities.The original site of 930 acres was purchased from Hargreaves Land in 2021 and the purchase of Thornton Wood adds a further 46.55 acres.Due to the scale of development, National Pride is required to undertake pre-application consultation, commencing with the submission of a Proposal of Application Notice, notifying Fife Council that it will be bringing forward an application for Planning Permission in Principle, which is anticipated by the end of the first quarter of 2024 – following a minimum 12-week period of community consultation.The planning permission application will be supported by a masterplan, outlining how the St Ninians and Loch Fitty area, next to Kelty and Kingseat in Fife, will be developed.Two public consultations will be held locally, with the first being a high-level overview of the proposed development and the second bringing forward responses gained from the first set of comments.These will be held at Kingseat Community Centre on 8 February and at Kelty Community Centre on 7 March.Irene Bisset, chair of National Pride CIC and director of National Pride St Ninians, said: “We are very excited about the enormous potential of this astonishing site.“As custodians, we take our responsibilities very seriously and our aim is to deliver an attractive, welcoming place for all.”Don’t miss the latest headlines with our twice-daily newsletter – sign up here for free.