£15m adventure attraction planned for old quarry

Published on Thursday 16 April 2009 09:48

A MULTI-million pound adventure park is set to be created on waste land in the Lothians in a bid to cash in on the activity holiday market.

Plans have been lodged to create what is described as Scotland's first large-scale "eco-friendly" leisure attraction in a former sand and gravel quarry in West Lothian.

VW Leisure aims to start work on the 15 million development, which would create up to 250 jobs, later this year if it gets the go-ahead from council chiefs.

The company, which has spent five years restoring the 72-acre park, on the edge of the A801 near Bathgate, hopes to attract visitors for day trips from Edinburgh and the Lothians, as well as holidaymakers from the UK and abroad.

The park is planned to have a huge artificial lake for water-sports, such as windsurfing, sailing and kayaking.

Other attractions will include an adventure playground, featuring a 100ft replica sailing ship and wooden forts.

A park lodge by the water's edge will include a restaurant, and could be booked for events such as wedding receptions. The company plans to build 33 log cabins by the lakeside for accommodation.

The park will also have its own wind-powered energy supply and underground thermal heating system in a bid to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Wolker Steinemann, a director of VW Leisure, said there was a growing market for family activity holidays and day trips.

He said: "We'd like to see adults and children enjoying the outdoors and trying different activities together. The idea is to try and get children's imaginations going and get them away from computer games and televisions.

"When I was a child, you were just out on the streets or playing in parks but times have changed now. You just wouldn't let your kids run loose now. We want to make this a very child-safe environment.

"By the time we open it will be the tail end of the recession. We feel that the days when people went on cheap holidays to Spain are coming to an end. I feel people are much more open now to travelling within Britain."

He said the company was keen to keep the park's environmental impact as low as possible. Visitors will be encouraged to visit a special area where waste can be recycled.

He added: "It won't be completely self-sufficient but we want to incorporate as much as we can. We've recycled the land already. We'll be recycling water to use for flushing toilets, and putting small solar panels on the buildings."

The construction of the park would provide 100 jobs in the area over 18 months, with a view to opening in summer 2011. The firm plans to create between 200 and 250 full-time jobs once it has opened.

A spokeswoman for VisitScotland said the park would provide a welcome boost for the local and national economy.