Residents’ fury over giant inflatable dome blighting their ‘lovely’ views of seaside town
Residents are furious over a 29ft inflatable dome ruining ‘beautiful’ views of their seaside town.
Caravan owners in Stonehaven, Scotland, say a massive structure built to block off neighboring tennis courts has ruined their holiday paradise.
Bob Cowie, 79, said the view from his window was now completely blocked by the dome.
The pensioner, who lives in Aberdeen, told the BBC: ‘We were aware the dome was going to go up but we were told it would go up after the caravan season was over when we weren’t here.
They installed this while we were still here and the workers were walking around the site.
‘When you encounter something like this, it’s like if a truck comes to your door, a high-end truck parks outside and blocks the sunlight, you wouldn’t be happy.’
The imposing dome is worth it It cost between £250,000 and £500,000 and was built by Stonehaven Tennis Club for its 360 members.
It covers two acrylic courts and means players can now play whatever the weather.
Bob Cowie, 79, said the view from his window was now completely blocked by the dome
Caravan owners in Stonehaven, Scotland, say a massive structure built to block off neighboring tennis courts has ruined their holiday paradise
Aberdeenshire Council granted planning permission to the club in 2023, on the understanding that the dome would not go up until the last Friday in September and would only be available until April the following year, and the club complied.
The RV site closes for the season on Halloween.
Peter Brown, operations director at Covair Structures, which is behind the construction of the dome, said: ‘This is a world class facility, I don’t think you can get away from it.
‘This dome is designed to withstand winds of up to 190 mph.
‘It’s fully heated in the winter too and I think it gives the community in Stonehaven a real chance to get into tennis.
‘For all you young people, imagine standing outside on the beach and playing tennis in February? It’s going to be quite cold, so I think it’s a great opportunity to have this facility here.’
