Our design for a new environmentally sensitive eco-therapy wellness park in Scotland has been submitted to East Ayrshire Council for planning. Designed for The Barony NP (UK) Ltd – a joint venture between National Pride UK and Intro Crowd - the 44-hectare masterplan transformsthe site of an ex-coal mine and includes 344 villas, a visitor centre and spa areas, alongside ecological sites that will generate produce and research from an ambitious re-wilding programme.

Led by Board Director Neil MacOmish, we have worked with a concept that embraces the challenging topography of the site. There is a substantial level change from the access road to the north down to Lugar Water, a famous river at the southern end of the site.
Guiding the design concept is a desire to convey a sense of place throughout. The design makes use of the ‘A’ frame of the previous colliery to convey the site’s original heritage, and to mark out a series of zones within the site and, notably, a processional arrival sequence. Continuing with this idea, the reception building will be articulated by a transitional, gabion basket stone wall that acts as the threshold between one world and another.

“This site is not a blank canvas. It requires a response grounded in its history and heritage, which is critical to a successful and distinctive design.”

Neil MacOmish, Board Director

The Barony is designed to be ‘off grid’ economically sustainable development and ecologically friendly carbon sink, meaning it absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases. Energy will come from a combination of green roofs with PV’s and a unique geothermal system that is being developed to recover heat from the water within the depth of the sealed mines.