Sheikh says helicopter use should allay traffic fears

● Dubai’s £13.7bn ruler has high flying estate plans

The billionaire ruler of Dubai has tried to allay concerns about traffic chaos near his planned Highland retreat – because he will fly his family in by helicopter. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-maktoum is hoping to expand his massive Scottish estate, with plans for a ninebedroom house and two lodges for his staff, to accommodate his large family.

But concerns were raised by Transport Scotland and local residents that the prince’s entourage would wreck havoc on local roads in a designated “national scenic area”. Sheikh Mohammed, who has several wives and 23 children, said that the family’s trips to Inverinate in Wester Ross had been “limited by a lack of accommodation”.

The rich ruler, through his development company Smech Properties, is seeking to build two new lodges and a ninebedroom house at his Highland retreat to help accommodate his family, servants and entourage.

Objections were also raised by the Church of Scotland who claimed that the development was not acceptable because of the “scale” of the plans.

In a statement, Smech Properties said: “The proposed lodges are for the sole, exclusive use of the current landowners and guests. They will not be rented for tourist use. As with current use, occupation is infrequent. They are not occupied for large periods.

“It is anticipated that there will be no significant increase in car movements above the existing traffic flow following the completion of the construction phases.

“As with the current lodges, the majority of visits to the property are either by coach or helicopter supported by a fleet of six 4x4 cars for shooting parties/visits.”

It is the latest development on the sheikh’s estate, which has a triple helipad and a 14-bedroom holiday home next door to a 16-bedroom luxury hunting lodge complete with a swimming pool and gym.

Sheikh Mohammed, who submitted the plans to Highland Council earlier this month, has a fortune worth more than £13.73 billion and bought the estate around 20 years ago.

The sheikh – who succeeded his brother as ruler in 2006 – is best known in Britain for being one of the top racehorse owners, and is credited with turning Dubai into one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

Officials involved in planning matters in Wester Ross clearly don’t really understand how the billionaires of this world roll.

In fact, it turns out, the super-rich don’t actually do all that much rolling; they’re more into helicoptering.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-maktoum, the billionaire ruler of Dubai, had faced rather mundane concerns about increased traffic as a result of his plan to build a ninebedroom house and two new lodges at his estate at Inverinate, where he and his family can escape Dubai’s 50C summer heat. It’s hard to imagine this would cause anything like gridlock, but the Sheikh’s development company had another reason to put people’s minds at rest. “The majority of visits to the property are either by coach or helicopter”, they said, before adding a bit about a “fleet” of six cars.

One imagines that is helicopters for the family and coaches for the staff. We might have to wait for the world’s first trillionaires before the kitchen staff get their own personal helicopters.

Oh, and councillors also don’t need to worry about parking spaces – there’s a triple helipad.