Objectors claim local voices opposed to Edinburgh Wavegarden will be drowned out by surfers around the world

Resident claims development will be holiday park

Waveguard Scotland has been given the go-ahead but plans for the buildings have yet to be approved

OBJECTIONS by locals to the latest plans for the new surf park being built at Ratho are being drowned out by orchestrated letters of support from surfers around the world, a resident has claimed.

The Wavegarden Scotland development has already been given to go-ahead at the disused Craigpark Quarry, but details of the buildings proposed for the site, including 41 glamping pods and 31 lodges, have yet to be approved.

Joe Robertson, who lives in the nearby Craigpark estate, accused the developers Tartan Leisure of trying to create a holiday park and said he feared it would attract stag and hen parties.

Objectors accuse the developers of planning a holiday park in a "totally unsuitable" location

And he claimed support for the plans had been whipped up from people who had no stake in the area.

He said: “Wavegarden Scotland appealed on social media to a private group of over 2000 surf enthusiasts to support their planning application. This has now been commented on and shared to groups of many thousands of other surf enthusiasts from all over the world.

“The people of Ratho’s voices are about to be squashed by many hundreds of positive comments from people who have no interest in the way this will affect Ratho.”

Mr Robertson said there were over 80 objections to the scheme and before the social media appeal the council’s planning portal showed just four supporters for the scheme. “Suddenly support started to increase rapidly, you were refreshing the page and there were ten extra people supporting it, and now it’s way over 100.”

He said most residents were happy with the Wavegarden itself but he was worried about plans for large outdoor events and claimed the lodges were likely to be used for stag and hen dos.

He said: “This isn’t going to make money with just people surfing, and that’s why they’re turning it into a Centre Parcs in a totally unsuitable location.”

A spokeswoman for Tartan Leisure said anyone was allowed to comment on a planning application regardless of where they lived.

She said there would be a family-oriented events programme in keeping with the size of the facility. “We will not tolerate any noise or disturbance made by individuals or large groups and will not be allowing hen/stag parties overnight.”

Tartan Leisure co-founder Andy Hadden said: “Wavegarden Scotland will be a world-class, family-friendly leisure destination and we will respect all our neighbours.”