A multi-million-pound “ghost” golf resort in Blackford is at the centre of an access row between residents and its billionaire owners.
Locals believe they should have the right to roam at the GWest project, which is owned by the Al Tajir family who run Highland Spring, during lockdown restrictions. However, they say they are being warned off by security because of ongoing building work, despite the resort lying unfinished for more than a decade.
Blackford resident Bob Watkinson said: “It’s a stunningly beautiful area crisscrossed with tracks that would provide valuable exercising routes with easy social isolation for the villagers.
“Unfortunately, the owners of the land are refusing to allow anyone access to these tracks.
“Their security patrol man is instructed to insist everybody must stick to the one core path that crosses the area.
“He has from time to time claimed that building work would be a danger to walkers, even though no significant building work has been done for many years.
“I think especially in this current crisis that to confine villagers to small areas is wrong and yet this landowner and Perth and Kinross Council seem totally uninterested in sorting the problem out.”
The masterplan for the GWest resort, just a few miles from Gleneagles, was unveiled in 2007 but while the course and clubhouse have been built, they have yet to open to visitors and plans for 170 luxury properties on the site have been on hold.
Blackford Community Council say the issue of access has been a problem for more than a decade and has been reported to the local authority.
Iain Paton, chairman of the group said: “The course is playable but the building work is incomplete. Following a spate of damage to the club house GWest employed a security guard to ensure further damage did not occur.
“Following complaints about access received by Blackford Community Council, some community councillors visited the site.
“They were also told by the guard that public access is restricted to the core path. This however does not fit with the Scottish right to roam legislation, we reported this breach and we are still awaiting a full and detailed response to our concerns from Perth and Kinross Council.”
A Perth and Kinross spokesperson said:”The public are entitled to use the core path that runs through the site and to cross but not remain on the golf course.
“Some other parts of the site are technically under development which restricts normal enforcement procedures
“General access to the site would be best resolved by agreement with the community and landowners.
“Due to the current coronavirus restrictions, it is not possible to arrange such agreements and therefore general access to the site is not a matter that can be resolved at present.”
GWest did not respond to requests for comment.
