Abandoned Scottish village for sale
25-06-2012
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The 25 acre site has former oil workers’ accommodation at Pollphail Village and comes with planning permission for the demolition of the existing buildings.
Scottish property consultants, CKD Galbraith said that it is being sold on behalf of administrators Brian Milne and Eileen Blackburn of French Duncan LLP.
It is described as being suitable for a range of uses, supported by the designation of the land as a Potential Development Area. The most likely use is for residential homes and associated facilities.
Previous proposals for the site have included plans for five detached houses on part of the site and the construction of a new settlement and ancillary buildings.
Widely referred to as the ‘ghost village’, Pollphail was built at a cost of around £3.3 million to meet the demands of the UK oil boom of the 1970’s.
It provided living accommodation for oil platform construction workers who were to work at the construction yard a short distance to the north which is now the Portavadie Marina complex.
It was intended for the yard to build concrete platform systems to meet the demand of the North Sea oil boom. However, the industry moved on quickly and most of the demand was for steel platform systems instead. Accordingly, no orders were placed for the concrete platform systems and the project was shelved without any of the workers occupying Pollphail Village which has lain unoccupied for over 35 years.
The site has attracted the attention of urban artists and documentary filmmakers. In 2009, six street artists known as Agents of Change decorated Pollphail’s walls and the village featured in a short documentary film directed by Matt Lloyd, which premiered at the Inverness Film Festival.
‘The village has a fascinating and chequered history mired by financial scandal when it was originally built, but there is something about the property that really captures the imagination. The site has lain empty for over 35 years and is a bit of an eyesore to local residents and visitors alike,’ said Harry Stott of CKD Galbraith.
‘If you can see beyond the dereliction, Pollphail occupies a fantastic position over looking Loch Fyne with views towards the Mull of Kintyre particularly when the previous planning consents are considered. The site has huge potential as a development site within an attractive setting and naturally stunning surroundings. The site is suitable for a range of uses although we suspect most interest will revolve around residential homes,’ he explained.
‘This is an exciting opportunity for someone to take on, the Cowal Peninsula is a popular tourist and holiday destination and the site may be suitable for second homes or holiday homes and could compliment the significant investment made nearby at Portavadie Marina,’ he added.
