PLANS have been lodged for a luxury housing development next to a historic Bishopton hotel.

Mar Estates Ltd have submitted proposals to build 28 four and five-bedroom detached homes in the grounds surrounding the Mar Hall Golf and Spa Resort.

If given approval, the development would include a forest walk, lawned gardens and pedestrian and cycle routes in what is being described as a “new residential community”.

The proposed site is bordered by the golf course and is situated to the east of Mar Hall – a building which is steeped in history.

Formerly known as Erskine House, it sits amid 200 acres of the Earl of Mar Estate and was originally built in the mid-1800s for the 11th Lord Blantyre, Major General Robert Walter Stuart.

After the Blantyre line became extinct in 1900, the building re-opened in 1916 as a hospital for limbless soldiers and sailors and was the second-largest specialist hospital of its kind in the UK.

In 2004, the building underwent a £15million restoration and was turned into the five-star hotel we know today.

If given the green light, the development would not only boast views of the 19th century building, but also of the Kilpatrick Hills and the Clyde Estuary.

A meeting has already taken place between Renfrewshire Council, the applicant and agents Jewitt and Wilkie Architects, where council planning bosses confirmed they were in favour of the development pending a full application.

It is hoped the development will continue to contribute to the economic growth of the estate, after permission was granted for 20 holiday lodges to be built back in 2014.