Campaign to prevent the industrialisation of King's Cross

Join us & help preserve this unique corner of Arran

In 2022, Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) bought Whitefield Farm on King's Cross, Arran, off market, with the intention of creating a timber stackyard and export station into Lamlash Bay via a new pier on the shoreline. Very serious risks were identified by FLS pre purchase, yet this Scottish Government body went ahead and paid £1.25 million for the farm.

In 2024, via a Freedom of Information request, we received a "Feasibility Study" dated February 2024 which indicates a number of costed design options for a pier, and possible bridge, with 3000m2 of timber stackyard, and nearly 1km of new roads through the farm down to the new pier.

FLS says it needs additional capacity to export timber from Arran. We believe that the current timber export arrangements based around Market Road in Brodick are efficient and working well. These are new and improved arrangements on the situation pre-2022 and that now allow increased capacity for exports.

FLS continues to invest in the Whitefield Farm project as one of its "options" on Arran. FLS says it intends to carry out public engagement on these options in 2025.

Industrialisation will destory the beauty and tranquility of this area.......

Update for events in 2025:

In March 2025, FLS met with some local residents for the first time since the Whitefield Farm purchase in 2022. Everyone voiced sincere and deep concerns about the environmental damage that would be caused to King’s Cross if FLS decided to proceed with a new timber stackyard and export point at Whitefield Farm.

We were assured then that the project would be cancelled if FLS could confirm that there was sufficient capacity at Market Road for exports, and that the noise of the site operations at Whitefield was confirmed to be impossible to maintain within regulatory limits. (Our view is that both criteria have now been met, and that the right thing to do now would be to allow Whitefield to remain as a farm, and for the unique and very special beauty and tranquillity of King’s Cross to be protected.)

FLS hosted two public events on Arran in September 2025 to ask for views on the future of timber transport and exports from Arran.

FLS has now published its summary of the feedback received at these well attended events. Public sentiment is very much against creating a new timber export point at King’s Cross and in favour of the status quo – where felled timber is transported to Market Road in Brodick where it is loaded onto timber barges for export to timber processors on the mainland.

You can read more on the FLS website here: https://forestryandland.gov.scot/what-we-do/communities/forestry-on-the-isle-of-arran

FLS also consulted on alternative options including building a new forestry track that would keep timber trucks off the public roads for longer, and emerge close to the export point at Market Road. There was broad public support for this option. This year, FLS has continued to commission reports, research and surveys to inform its decision about whether to create a new stackyard and export point at Whitefield Farm on King’s Cross. FLS has already told us that this would only be for a “contingency”, and that it is envisaged that all timber exports can continue via Market Road in Brodick as there is sufficient capacity available.

If FLS decides to proceed at Whitefield, a planning application will be required. A decision on this by the CEO, Kevin Quinlan and his Executive Management Team is imminent, we anticipate early in 2026.

We are hopeful that the level of public concern, plus the viable alternative of Market Road in Brodick, and an achievable prospect of improved forestry track infrastructure, will mean that FLS will elect not to proceed at King’s Cross this time. The environmental damage (noise, visual, air, light and marine pollution and disturbance from the construction and operations of the site) will be disastrous for the peace and serenity of King’s Cross.

This video of timber being loaded illustrates the process.

The floating pier and barge is a very similar set up to what might happen at King's Cross if FLS plans for a timber export station there come to fruition.

Watch with the sound up to hear why we are so concerned.”

https://youtu.be/7ccxr148HlU?feature=shared