Edinburgh Council backs plans for spectacular treehouse in a Dreghorn garden

Published on Wednesday 22 December 2010 10:52

IT boasts wood-panelled walls, forest views and, costing tens of thousands of pounds, is one of the more desirable properties in the Capital.

Towering two-metres above ground in a Dreghorn Loan garden, the lofty abode has many trappings of a modern home but with added extras including a stainless steel slide and climbable cargo nets.

A rope bridge will even link to a children's play room on a separate platform.

The city's most luxurious treehouse was given the go-ahead by planning officials this week.

When built, it will have an electricity supply and a large open-plan living room complete with boundary balcony encircling the whole property.

Although stabilised on wooden supports, the treehouse has been developed to encompass two birch trees as well as a number of surrounding trees.

Blue Forest, one of the UK's leading eco-lodge construction firms and the company charged with creating the treehouse, said it could be the first of its kind in Edinburgh.

"The treehouse at Dreghorn Loan is pretty typical of the size and type of treehouse that we build for our private clients," said Simon Payne, a company director at Blue Forest.

"As you can imagine, this is an unusual, niche market and this is certainly the first treehouse we have built in Edinburgh. In this case, the client is wanting to create something the whole family can use.

"It will be able to be used throughout the year and will also have a kids' play area with equipment linked to the main structure by a rope bridge.

"Generally our designs are fairly luxurious and unusual.

"We come up with bespoke designs to suit our clients' requirements and their garden.

"It's around about the same price as a large conservatory but clearly much more fun.

"It does the same thing (as an extension] in that it creates a little more space."

The East Sussex-based treehouse developers take on between five and seven projects per year, ranging from modest challenges like the Dreghorn structure to developments akin to elevated villages costing as much as 250,000.

Mr Payne said: "In Hertfordshire we created a thatched African lodge linked with three rope bridges to different platforms including a turreted fantasy-style children's play house complete with the latest consoles.

"But for the most part they really want structures for the garden which can be used throughout the year. It's a hideaway and a nice way to make use of the garden."

Mr Payne said that due to conservation regulations no trees could be felled and so designers incorporated them into the blueprints.