Woodbank House Stables, Luss Road, Balloch

Former stable block, sited to the east and falling within the curtilage of A-listed Woodbank House.

December 1979: Press reports note that the former Woodbank Hotel is to reopen as the Hamilton House Hotel. The entire house has been refurbished in an attempt to return it to its Georgian splendour. 1981: The hotel closes. 10 November 1989: The Lennox Herald reports that plans to turn the house into a nursing home have been refused. February 1990: Dumbarton District Council has indicated that the owner has refused to enter into negotiations and is known to be unwilling to sell. December 1993: Conversations between SCT and the resident caretaker reveal that the owner continues to remain anti-selling. October 1994: A planning application has been recently submitted for the conversion of Woodbank House into commercial and residential use, with the surrounding 22 acres given over to residential use. 18 August 1995: The Lennox Herald reports that Outline Planning Permission has been refused. February 1998: SCT receives correspondence from Gavin Walker and Associates, who have been trying to mobilise action over Woodbank. Responses to their approaches to the Council requesting a site meeting to discuss ways forward are reported to have been negative. May 2000: The Clan Heritage Trust has been involved in lengthy discussions with planners and local MSPs regarding the acquisition of the site and its conversion into a Clan Heritage Museum and Headquarters. January 2001: A meeting is held between the Clan Heritage Trust, local planners, Historic Scotland and SCT to discuss the proposals. There is suppport in principle, though a feasibility study is required. April 2002: CHT reports that it is not continuing to pursue the plans. January 2006: stables remain at risk

October 2008: External inspection reveals that the stables are unsecured and in a generally ruinous condition.

December 2008: Local planners report that the building has been included in the draft Local Plan as a development opportunity in the hope that investment can be secured for it.

June 2009: Local planners report they have recently re-established contact with a representative of the building owners. The owners would be willing to sell the building, new contact details added to the record.

February 2011: External inspection finds the building remains in a derelict state. It is liberally graffitied and vandalised, but the principle threat comes from the vegetation which is progressively strengthening its grip.

27 March 2012: External inspection finds no significant change from the previous site visit.

13 March 2020: External inspection finds the stables in much the same condition as seem previously. Deterioration continues at pace. Tree and vegetation growths are taking hold. Some evidence of vandalism in litter and graffiti throughout. Further masonry loss. Remains At Risk.
Post Survey Update: Local planners advise Planning Permission in Principle is being sought for a mixed use tourism and leisure development (2022/0157/PPP) on a land parcel that extends to Woodbank House and Stables. The application proposes the conversion of the buildings to form up to 21 self-catering apartments as part of the wider development.