Published: Friday, 15th August, 2008 11:46
Rutherford Castle developers quell fears
By David O'Leary
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The developers of the luxury £50 million hotel at Rutherford Castle have spoken out to quell fear regarding the building of extensive housing on the site.
They have also announced that if given the go-ahead local workers and sub-contractors will be those who benefit first from the resulting 300 jobs and building work.
Developers, Manor Kingdom Estates, revealed last Friday plans to create a 5 star hotel and conference facility at Rutherford Castle near West Linton.
Set in 18 acres, the hotel will comprise of 150 bedrooms, a deluxe spa and leisure club, relaxing cafes to fine dining, an outstanding wine cellar and whisky lounge, a grand ballroom and spacious conference rooms.
Mark Cummings, spokesperson for Manor Kingdom Estates said: “I wish to stress that this will be a stand-alone application and that there will be no housing applications alongside it.
“The combination of hotel, leisure, conference and business facilities provides the right business model for this location with no requirement for housing to enable the development.”
The proposals represent a significant investment for the local economy with over 300 new jobs created including the creation of jobs during the construction phase of the hotel.
He said: “Through this development we will offer varied opportunities to the local workforce and the development of the Scottish Borders. There will also be major opportunities for local sub-contractors to work alongside our main contractor.”
5 star quality hotel operator De Vere who already run nearby Barony Castle and 5 star Cameron House by Loch Lomond, have signed up to operate Rutherford Castle Hotel.
Operations Director of De Vere, Brian McCarthy said: “We are really enthusiastic about acquiring a site in the South East of Scotland to compliment what we’ve already delivered in the West of Scotland, through Cameron House at Loch Lomond.”
Business spokeswoman for Scottish Borders Council Vicky Davidson has welcomed the news. She said: “This is a very exciting announcement and shows that the Scottish Borders is an excellent venue for such world-class developments.
“It shows that the developers have a lot of faith in this area.”
Rutherford Castle Golf Club was created in the late 1990s by farmer Henry Wallace.
Following his death in 1999 the course was sold to the development company Manor Kingdom.
Speaking of De Vere’s plans for the golf course, Brian McCarthy, said: “Ultimately our vision is that the hotel will act as a catalyst to improving the existing Rutherford Castle golf course to championship standard and ultimately attracting a PGA event to the area, as has been done at the De Vere Carrick Golf Course at Cameron House.”
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