‘Sex lord’ banishes hikers from his Cape Town estate

LORD Irvine Laidlaw was hoping for a quiet life when he bought a R100-million chunk of mountainside overlooking Cape Town’s Noordhoek beach.

But the reclusive aristocrat, known for his addiction to sex and fast cars, is embroiled in a spat over access to the De Goede Hoop Estate, where he is by far the most powerful landowner.

Not only is the estate refusing to cut down its pine trees — reportedly because they remind Laidlaw of his native Scotland — but it has also banned hikers from crossing a tiny portion of the property near the summit of popular Chapman’s Peak.

The super-wealthy former member of Britain’s House of Lords is now involved in a standoff with the South African National Parks Board, which manages the Table Mountain area adjoining the De Goede Hoop Estate. The city of Cape Town’s invasive-species unit has been briefed about the problem.

Described as intensely private, 71-year-old Laidlaw has kept a low profile since reports about his sex addiction surfaced several years ago. In 2008, he booked himself into a South African addiction clinic.

De Goede Hoop was once a historic farmstead. Plots on the estate range in price from several million rands to R107-million — paid by Laidlaw in 2005 for the main manor house.

SanParks Table Mountain manager Paddy Gordon confirmed this week that Laidlaw’s estate had insisted on blocking a 100m section of the Hoerikwaggo trail that cuts through a remote corner of the estate near the top of Chapman’s Peak.

The trail, which runs from Cape Point to the cableway station, will have to be rerouted.

“The topography at that point is rather extreme and will require significant footpath construction,” said Gordon.

Conservation officials have been clearing the Noordhoek mountain area of alien vegetation. There is plenty on the De Goede Hoop Estate, but the pines remain.

Richard Gunston, an estate manager for Laidlaw, said the peer would not comment publicly.

The undeveloped part of De Goede Hoop Estate is controlled by the Fynbos Trust, managed by the landowners.

“Because Laidlaw has the largest land holding, he has control of the trust,” said one insider, adding that Laidlaw and his wife were reportedly very attached to the alien pine trees.

“The Laidlaws come from the northern hemisphere. They think that pine trees are just wonderful, forgetting of course that we are in an international heritage site.”

Legislation may compel private estates to comply with alien clearing policies or risk intervention from the authorities.

“The risk of seeds from these pines spreading into the park is a concern as the park has invested hundreds of millions in

The topography is extreme and will require significant footpath construction

alien clearing,” said Gordon.

“This will thus remain a subject of discussion with the land owner and land manager.”

Rory Sales, a member of the Noordhoek Environmental Action Group, said the slopes above Noordhoek were a rare island of indigenous Afro-montane forest.

“This is the last vestige of it on the southern part of the peninsula, but now it is getting invaded [by trees],” Sales said.

De Goede Hoop resident and property agent Lindsay Bell said the Laidlaws were passionate about conservation.

“They have a wonderful horticulturist working here full time,” she said.

“They are maintaining fire breaks — and not just pulling out a few Port Jacksons [another alien tree species]. The whole ecosystem is being maintained,” said Bell.