PLANS for an extended car park and a new visitor shelter at a wildlife site on Islay have been given the go-ahead by council officers.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) also wished to install a public toilet facility and form a path at its Loch Gruinart visitor car park.
Argyll and Bute Council received no objections or expressions of support from the public during the planning process, and planning permission has now been granted.
A council official said in a handling report: “The proposed changes are considered acceptable in this location, as they are modest in scale and are necessary for the effective management and operation of the RSPB visitor site.
“The proposed uses are compatible with the designated landscape interests and would not adversely affect their character or qualities.
“In this instance, a landscape and visual impact assessment (light) is not considered necessary. The submitted plans provide sufficient detail, including existing and proposed site sections, which clearly illustrate the scale, siting and elevations of the development within the context of the site.
“Furthermore, the proposed relocated bund to the south, together with established boundary treatments comprising dry stone walls and shrub planting, would provide effective screening of the proposed buildings from wider public viewpoints.
“Given the modest nature of the development and the level of enclosure afforded by these features, the proposal would not result in any significant adverse effects on the surrounding landscape character or natural heritage interests.”
The report concluded: “The detailed plans demonstrate how the modest proposal would sit within the landscape, which would provide an appropriate development opportunity being of a simple design, with a muted palette of finishing materials, which together with the planting and biodiversity mitigation recommended by the conditions, would ensure that the proposed development will not result in any significant or adverse visual impacts on the site or its setting within the wider landscape.
“No objections have been received from consultees with regards to the proposed infrastructure to serve the proposed development.”
