Lodge owners near Blairgowrie have lost their appeals to stop council evictions due to unauthorized permanent residency
Blairgowrie: So, it turns out that residents at Bendochy Park who thought they could live in their lodges permanently are in a bit of a pickle. They tried to fight the council’s eviction orders but came up short.
Five lodge owners appealed against the council’s decision, which said they had to leave by December 2026. The council stepped in because these lodges were meant for holiday use only, not full-time living.
Last year, the Advertising Standards Agency found that the site owner had misled everyone, including the residents, into thinking they could live there year-round. But despite that ruling, the Scottish Government has turned down four of the five appeals.
One appeal was even withdrawn last November. A government reporter noted that the residents needed to show that the council’s actions were too harsh, but they just couldn’t make that case.
She pointed out that the council’s enforcement notice simply required them to stop living there as their main home. There’s a public interest in making sure planning rules are followed, after all.
Now, the lodge owners are facing a tough situation. Two of them, Roy and Susan Robertson, said they only moved in after the ASA ruling came out. They feel they were misled and are worried about losing a lot of money if they try to sell their properties.
Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser has spoken out about this mess, saying there are serious issues with how these properties were sold. He’s been pushing for better protections for people buying park homes, especially since the original developers are now in liquidation.
It’s a frustrating situation for everyone involved, and the Courier has reached out to Bendochy Park for their side of the story.
