Dear Supporter / Friend of Kings Cross
It has been a wee while since we have been in touch with you, and here is our latest update which includes news of our upcoming Picnic this week, the latest on what FLS has been up to, our recent lobbying activity and how you can assist Friends of King’s Cross in our new fundraising campaign.
Picnic at the Point on Sunday!
Come and join us at our Picnic at the Point on Sunday 9th August from 2pm to 5pm in the lower field below Point House. See our attached poster for more details – tell your friends, it would be great to seeyou! Bring some food to share or just enjoy a cuppa and a treat from our cake stall. All welcome!
What’s happening with FLS and Whitefield Farm?
Since December 2025, FLS has been saying publicly and to Friends of Kings Cross that they have made no decision on an industrial development at Whitefield Farm, and intend to monitor log movements and exports via Brodick for the next year or so, before they decide whether they need to proceed to develop Whitefield Farm with a 4 acre stackyard and log export station into Lamlash Bay.
However, the response to various recent freedom of information requests we have made and subsequent communications from FLS would indicate that FLS is continuing to pursue ways that may help them advance the development.
There have been two neighbour updates from FLS, in March and in June. Following further correspondence in July, FLS has now shared the design and plan for their large shed.We attach these updates for your perusal, and we would comment as follows:
a) The latest update indicates their intention to use Permitted Development Rights for further advancement of Whitefield as their “operational base” for Arran.We understand this development includes a large storage shed with welfare facilities, extending to 23mby 13m in area and 5.5m high situated alongside the boundary fence behind the farmhouse. We are unclear why FLS might need such a facility now, particularly as the recently refurbished office in the previous holiday cottage also has welfare facilities. We note the new office does not appear to have been used since its completion last year.We are pursuing these matters further with FLS and North Ayrshire Planning. We have also recently appointed a planning consultant whose advice is proving very helpful to Friends of Kings Cross.
b) FLS completed an excambion (land swap deal) with a local landowner earlier this year. They gave away over 6 hectares of farmland in return for less than 3 hectares, and now own an additional field and mature woodland alongside the track into Whitefield, and a portion of the field opposite. FLS advised in March 2026 “This land swap is designed to secure long term access into Whitefield Farm”We remain concerned that creating such access would entail the destruction of the fields, various hedgerows, and an area of mature woodland.
FLS intends to undertake various “improvements” to the land at Whitefield and to offer it as an agricultural tenancy later this year.We are making further enquiries with FLS regarding what these improvements consist of.
c) Noise Measurement at King’s Cross FLS has already completed two noise modelling studies, in 2019 and 2025, both of which found the noise generated by the operations of the stackyard and the export station at the foot of the hill for loading logs onto boats would have “adverse” and “significantly adverse” affects. We believe these noise modelling reports should have already ruled out the project completely due to the unacceptable noise levels that would be generated.The latest study taking place over the summer was to accurately assess the background noise levels at King’s Cross, which as you know, are typically very low.We do not believe the results of the latest noise measurement activity will make any difference to the already assessed noise impact of the site, and we do wonder why FLS continues to invest in further research and consultancy at Whitefield.FLS informed us in September 2025 that Whitefield would only ever have to be developed as a“contingency” site in the event of extensive emergency felling, which they agreed was “highly unlikely”.
d) The new 15 year timber felling, haulage and export contract was re-awarded to Glennon Brothers in late 2025. We were expecting a press release earlier this year which has not materialised. Timber exports will be maintained using the current arrangements from Market Road in Brodick, via barges at the pier or Calmac ferry and as far as we can see, appear to be working very well.FLS now says that "Any decision of additional export capacity would follow a review of the Brodick operation, and be subject to evidence, engagement and the appropriate statutory processes."
e) The planned FLS consultation on woodland planting at Whitefield originally slated for early 2026 has not taken place, we do not know why not.f) We have not heard anything further about the potential new forest tracks that would enable timber trucks to remain within the forests for longer, emerging at the top of Brodick Hill very near to the existing export operations at Market Road. Read on for more info:
New Forest Tracks: A Viable Alternative to improve timber exports from Arran.
In September 2025, FLS came forward with three route options for new forest tracks to link the Dyemill with the track to Arran Energy at the top of Brodick Hill. The shortest of these routes is only 6km. We believe these alternative routes offer a “win win” solution for all:
• Timber haulage trucks remain in the forests and off the public roads for longer, incurring less damage to the road surfaces, and less risk for other road users.
• Lamlash is bypassed all together by timber trucks.
• Creating a new track is much lower cost – the three route options have all been costed at under£2million which compares very favourably with the estimated “tens of millions” that FLS says would be required to develop a new stackyard and export operation at Whitefield.
• King’s Cross does not need to be ruined by an inappropriate industrial development, highly impactful for this shoreline stretch of very important Atlantic rainforest which starts at Lamlash and continues to King’s Cross Point; home to increasingly rare flora and fauna, such as curlew, otter and many ferns, mosses and lichens.
• Best of all, Arran gains a legacy off road route, right through the forests from Brodick to the south end, available to all, long after the current peak in logging operations has passed.The attached map shows the routes (marked in red) that FLS designed. Unfortunately, we have not heard anything further about progress on these routes.
