Peter Beckwith’s company, Riverside, has beaten David Lloyd and First Leisure in the battle to buy a massive leisure site at Bearsden and Milngavie, 10 miles west of Glasgow. Lauren Mills reports.
Sources say that Riverside will pay Creston Land & Estates about £3m for its site – subject to planning. Creston’s application, lodged last November, includes plans for an indoor swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, and a 70-bed hotel. The 222ha (550 acre) site is currently used as Dougalston Golf Course.
East Dumbartonshire’s development control manager, Alan Sim, confirmed that the 8,360m2 (90,000 sq ft) proposal is likely to be determined by the summer. But he said that the proposal is contrary to the adopted local plan because it falls within the green belt.
However, Creston’s managing director, Tom King, is confident that the proposal will get the green light. “We have an existing established leisure use in the form of the golf course. Tennis and general leisure pursuits go hand in hand with this,” he said.
Riverside’s chief executive, Mark Johnson, stressed that the proposal includes plans to upgrade the existing golf course. And he added: “The Riverside Club will be sympathetic to the local environment.”
The project will take 12 months to build, and is expected to serve the north Glasgow catchment area. While it is Riverside’s first venture into Scotland, Johnson confirmed that others are planned.
Riverside has been in business for nearly 10 years. Its first club opened in Chiswick and a new centre will open in Northwood, north-west London, in June.
Gee & Co advised Creston. Riverside was represented by DTZ Debenham Thorpe.
