Former MOD torpedo site set for transformation into Loch Long holiday resort

A former torpedo testing station in Argyll & Bute could be turned into holiday homes and lodges under new redevelopment plans.

The former Ministry of Defence base in Arrochar, on the banks of Loch Long, has lain largely derelict since the torpedo station ceased operations in 1986, having opened in 1912.

It has since attracted fly-tipping, littering and anti-social behaviour across the 11-hectare site, frustrating locals.

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority has now approved a major mixed-use tourism development by Ardnagal Estates.

The former base has become a site for fly-tipping Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority via Supplied

Proposals as part of the development include 14 holiday homes, 34 holiday lodges, a 34-bedroom hotel, 20 glamping pods, six motorhome pitches, an outdoor play area, and associated parking and native landscaping.

“The approval of this long-standing derelict site’s redevelopment is a significant step forward in addressing what has been a blight on both the local community and the environment”, Claire Chapman, Planning & Access committee chair, said.

“The site has been identified in both the existing Local Development Plan, which guides new development in the National Park, and in the community’s Local Place Plan.

“Permission for this application also secures commitments from the developer to protect and enhance the site’s natural environment, ensuring the area’s landscape and environmental sensitivities are safeguarded for the long term, and will help bring the site back into positive use.

Former Ministry of Defence torpedo testing station in Arrochar in Argyll & Bute. Supplied

“That is a very welcome outcome for people, and for nature.”

Public and community access to the loch through a revitalised pier will also be a feature, alongside new leisure services, including a play park that will add “family-friendly amenity for residents and visitors”.

The developers have also said that biodiversity will be improved in various ways, including by removing invasive non-native plant species such as Japanese knotweed.

The delivery of the proposed development will now fall to Ardnagal Estates.