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CASTLE Toward, an outdoor education centre for over 60 years, is set to be sold to a Bristol-based timeshare company.
Argyll and Bute Council announced last week that, after its executive committee considered four bids for the 1820 mansion, Seasons Holidays were named as âpreferred biddersâ. The company plans to build a resort with a hotel, spa, conference centre and holiday lodges. It claims that over 200 jobs will be created.
The council was seeking offers over ÂŁ2.25m for the property and its extensive grounds, which contain the ruins of the sixteenth century Toward Castle, the Chinese ponds, wooded areas and access to the shore.
Council leader Councillor Dick Walsh said that Seasons Holidays development would amount to one of the most significant leisure developments ever seen in Argyll and Bute, and would put the area firmly at the forefront of tourism development in Scotland.
âThis plan has the potential to transform the economy of the local area, as well the wider region,â Councillor Walsh said.
âThis is a company with a strong track record, which has been liaising with Scottish Development International, the government agency for inward investment, for several years regarding possible investment opportunities in Scotland. I am very excited that they have chosen the Cowal peninsula for their latest project.â
Seasons Holidays describes itself as âa specialist property developer working solely to provide high quality and cost-effective holiday homes for purchaseâ. It currently has six resorts in the UK â including at Brunston Castle in Ayrshire - and three in Europe. Until three years ago it ran its resorts on a timeshare basis, but now operates on a âfractional ownershipâ basis. This model, described by one holiday commentator as âson of timeshareâ, involves the purchase of a freehold share of a holiday property.
After wartime use as a combined operations centre, Glasgow Corporation purchased Castle Toward from the Coatts family in 1945. Initially used as a residential school for Glasgow children recovering from illness, it became available for use by all Glasgow children as an outdoor education centre.
With local government reorganisation in 1996 ownership passed to Argyll and Bute Council and Castle Toward was threatened with closure. The centreâs then principal, Peter Wilson, mounted a rescue operation and a company, Actual Reality, was formed to keep the castle in use as an outdoor activity centre. The council has made a number of attempts to sell Castle Toward and all â until now â have been met with stiff opposition. A host of celebrities and academics made sure the Save Castle Toward campaign received national headlines.
Actual Reality runs the councilâs outdoor centre at Ardentinny as well as Castle Toward. Dr Christopher Mason of Actual Reality told the Standard: âOf course we are very disappointed. The provision of outdoor education and music experiences will end after 62 years at Castle Toward. Actual Reality is about the education of young people in Scotland and will carry on our work in other premises. We were prepared for this.
âWe will be carrying on in Castle Toward and Ardentinny until the end of this school year. Beyond that â we are talking about Ardentinny with Argyll and Bute Council.
âI am absolutely positive about the future â I hope Actual Reality will be around for another 60 years.â
Seasons Holidaysâ chairman Barry Hurley expressed his pleasure in securing Castle Toward in a presss statement, and revealed that his company had been looking at Castle Toward for five years.
âWe will now endeavour to work closely with the local planning authority, Historic Scotland and all the associated bodies to achieve a deliverable mixed use resort development, whilst retaining the important historical heritage of the site,â he said.
âWe are convinced this new development will be a catalyst for the re-emergence of tourism and leisure in this region of Scotland. The benefits in economic terms, new local employment and investment generally will be the most rewarding aspect of this new venture proposal that is seen at all our regional developments throughout the UK.
âA truly exciting opportunity now exists and congratulations to Argyll and Bute Council for seeing the future vision for Castle Toward as we have always seen over the past five years, since our first visit to the development. A great deal of thanks also goes to Scottish Development International, which has worked extremely closely with my acquisition team, Argyll and Bute Council and council members.â
We were keen to ask Seasons Holidays how many people it employed in its other resorts, and about its plans to refurbish the castle, but th company did not return our calls.
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The seat of Clan Lamont is facing a new chapter.
