Plan to demolish Savile’s Scottish home draws objections to Highland Council
A PLAN to demolish the former Highland home of child sex offender Jimmy Savile has drawn objections to Highland Council.
The new owners of the derelict, graffiti-strewn cottage in Glencoe have lodged a fresh application to create a new three-bedroomed family home “that the community can be proud of”.
The outbuilding on the site will be transformed into a smaller property named in honour of celebrated mountaineer Sir Hamish Macinnes, who formerly lived at Allt-na-reigh.
It is here that he developed the “Pterodactyl” ice-axe and the eponymous Macinnes stretcher, used by mountain rescue teams worldwide. The cottage was bought by retail tycoon Harris Aslam, who decided to let locals have their say on the future of the property.
The design statement notes that one bedroom in the main house has an en-suite that has “a view upwards to the ‘Stob Mhic Mhartuin’ summit as well as an off-angle view of The Three Sisters”.
Plans submitted in 2021 sparked protest from objectors who claimed that the property did not fit in with the scenic landscape.
Two objections from the public have been received since the application was lodged with the council just over a week ago.
Robin Campbell, from Fintry, said the cottage’s brief association with Savile “should not be used as an excuse for demolition”.
Patrick Dunne, who lives in Ayr, said his objections were related to the design and scale of the new property.
He writes: “The proposals seek to replace a small single-storey dwelling and outbuildings with two houses, both of a larger scale than the buildings that they replace.
“In the case of the larger house, it is of significantly larger floor area and height than that existing. The design will be overbearing on travellers on the road and change the distinctive character of the area substantially.”
He said the plan to honour the mountaineer by naming the outbuilding Hamish House was insubstantial.
He said: “Some sort of memorial would be welcome, but this is the absolute bare minimum and reeks of pandering. It makes me cringe. A more fitting dedication would be to retain the workshops with some interpretation to the impact Hamish Macinnes had on Scottish Mountaineering.”
Mr Aslam said: “This really is an incredibly exclusive property, and presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to develop something we can all be very proud of, as adorers of the Glencoe Valley and as proud Scots. Accordingly, intending to pay homage to Sir Hamish, it gives us great pride to propose the outbuilding to be named Hamish House along with a commemorative plaque to be installed on-site to honour these great achievements.”