Plans for a state-of-the art rum distillery using water from the River Clyde have been torpedoed despite backing from tourism chiefs.
Neil Pringle pledged to create dozens of jobs with a development, including a visitor centre, on stilts on the riverbank in Lanarkshire. But a Scottish Government reporter has rejected the idea, saying it’s an unacceptable use for a greenbelt location.
Businessman Pringle, 56 said the distillery would use water from the river to produce 75,000 litres of rum a year. The visitor centre would be themed around rum and its traditional association with Glasgow and the Clyde.
The site, near Garrion Bridge, is on the Clyde Valley Tourist Route and Pringle was looking to attract 70,000 visitors each year. Visit Scotland supported his planning application, saying: “Investment is necessary to continually improve the visitor experience and meet ever-increasing visitor expectations.
“Food and drink are a key part of a visit to Scotland with tourists keen to try local produce and immersive experiences. The proposed visitor experience at Clyde Valley Distillery would benefit both the local visitor economy and the wider Clyde Valley/South Lanarkshire area.”
Scottish Government reporter Keith Bray accepted the development would add to the area’s tourist attractions, but ruled that its “main purpose” was industrial and therefore not suitable for the greenbelt. Bray stated: “There is no evidence showing why the River Clyde is particularly important as a water source other than it being a selling point for the product.
“The economic benefits of the proposal, together with a geographical location that could attract visitors on a promoted tourism route. are material considerations.
“But I am not of the view that these factors are of such a magnitude as to outweigh my assessment concerning the principle of a distillery in the greenbelt.”
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