‘Blot on the landscape’

Conservation groups slam ‘industrial’ makeover for historic Glen Coe hotel

IT was once commandeered by Government troops in the wake of the Battle of Culloden.

But now the 17th century Kings House Hotel faces a modern-day fight with conservation groups who oppose a £10million scheme which would see it quadruple in size.

The inn, which sits on the West Highland Way at one end of Glen Coe, welcomes thousands of walkers and mountaineers every year.

Owners Black Corries Estate want to build a major extension and add 60 rooms to the 22 that are currently available.

But conservation groups object to the plan, saying it would give the historic building an ‘industrial’ look which would blight the surrounding landscape.

The owners were granted planning permission for a smaller extension by Highland Council last year.

But they claim that the plans were not ‘economically viable’ and returned last month with the more ambitious scheme.

The John Muir Trust, National Trust Scotland and Mountaineering Scotland have all lodged formal objections.

David Gibson, chief executive officer for Mountaineering Scotland, said: ‘The Kings House Hotel is located in a part of the National Scenic Area which is recognised for its unique and unrivalled natural heritage, but the proposed development appears as an industrial-style building.

‘It is not sympathetic to its surroundings or to the existing historic hotel building.’

The hotel, which has not been renovated for half a century, sits at the edge of Rannoch Moor.

It is named Kings House because the Duke of Cumberland’s troops were billeted there in late 1746 following the Battle of Culloden.

A spokesman for National Trust Scotland added: ‘It should be possible, with careful thought, to improve the visitor offering at Kings House without degrading the natural and cultural assets that attract visitors.’

The new plans are yet to be scrutinised by Highland Council.

A spokesman for property consultants Bidwells, who are managing the project for Black Corries Estate, said: ‘The objections to the plans are an incredibly disappointing response to what is a forward-thinking, wellconceived, economically supportive project.’