A new mixed-use development of up to 495 homes, an 18-hole golf
course, proposed hotel/wedding/conference centre; and equestrian
centre will be created on the Auchincruive Estate near Ayr,
following planning permission in principle by South Ayrshire
Council. The 600-acre (246 hectare) estate has until now been the
home of the Scottish Agricultural College.
The listed buildings located within the site boundary will be
retained, sensitively refurbished, upgraded and reused for a
variety of purposes.
It is proposed that the historic 18th-century Oswald Hall will
be transformed into a new luxury hotel and conference/wedding
centre, while Gibbs Yard is earmarked for a new pub or restaurant,
crèche and estate office, while also retaining current residential
and office space.
Oswald's Temple (also known as the Tea House),
which is currently on the Buildings at Risk Register due its poor
state of repair, will be fully restored and integrated into the
Oswald Hall hotel complex as accommodation.
In addition Wilson Hall, an X-shaped 1950s building currently
used as student accommodation, will be redeveloped to form 18
flats.
Meanwhile, important landscape features, such as the extensive
woodland copses, ornamental gardens and the arboretum
will be retained and restored. The estate is well used for outdoor
recreation purposes and the existing network of car parks,
footpaths, cycleways and bridleways be supplemented to improve
public access.