Samye Ling monastery shooting range appeal ruled invalid

The Scottish government ruled an appeal over the site near the Samye Ling centre was invalid

An appeal lodged over plans for a shooting range near a Buddhist monastery has been ruled invalid.

The dispute over the scheme close to the Samye Ling Tibetan Centre at Eskdalemuir centred on whether it constituted a "major development".

Developers said there were "compelling legal arguments" for it to be treated as a local development and approved.

However, a Scottish government reporter disagreed and decided it therefore had "no remit" to intervene.

The Clerkhill project has generated significant opposition due to its location.

The abbot of the centre said it threatened their "peace and harmony" and an online petition against the range has gathered more than 20,000 signatures.

The planning dispute was prompted by Dumfries and Galloway Council's decision to escalate it from a local development to a major one.

That requires a greater level of scrutiny and a fresh application to be lodged.

Developers argued that the spaces between a shooting gallery and areas in which targets were located had not been subject to any material change from forestry or agricultural use.

They said that meant the project - which would create jobs and boost the local economy - was smaller in scale than the council had decided.

Scottish government reporter Stuart West said the extent of the area covered by the shooting range remained in dispute and required to be established.

However, he added that it was nonetheless clear it would be greater than two hectares and would therefore constitute a major development.

He said that meant he had no remit to rule on the appeal.

It will now be up to developers Eskdalemuir Forestry and George Birrell to submit a fresh application to the council.