Jimmy Savile's Glencoe house of horror to be demolished as plans appear for site
New plans to demolish Jimmy Savile's hideout in the Highlands have been revealed - with a new home more suited to the stunning area surrounding it after a wave of public backlash.
The cottage was bought by Harris Aslam, the director of the Fife-based Scottish convenience store operator Eros Retail. Aslam decided to let people from the area decide what the future of the grim property would be - however, the original plans for a new home on the site submitted in 2021 sparked a wave of protests, with many saying the design was not a good fit for the scenic landscape.
Disgraced previous owner Jimmy Saville was found to be one of the UK's worst child abusers (UK Press via Getty Images)The paedophile television presenter lived in the property at Allt-na-Reigh in Glencoe from 1998 until his death in 2011 and it is believed it is the site of the abuse of 20 of his victims. Aslam and his family have now submitted new proposals for the property through their company Glencoe Cottage Ltd and these can now be viewed on Highland Council's planning website.
According to the Daily Record, an accompanying design statement by the architect says: "It is a location which contains some of the finest scenery Scotland has to offer, yet despite this, the vandalism demonstrates a feeling towards the property, born from a disgraced previous owner, in spite of the fact that another previous owner was the renowned Scottish mountaineer Hamish MacInnes. This conflict between the location and the connection to one of the previous owners was highlighted when VisitScotland used an image of the property with the 'Three Sisters of Glencoe' in the background to promote the area, only to have to remove the image admitting it had been posted in error due to the negative reaction it received from the public."
A VisitScotland spokesperson said: "Our social media channels are used to inspire people to visit Scotland, because of this we often share stunning images taking by visitors to our country. In error, we shared on Instagram an image depicting snow-capped mountains in Glencoe which also contained a building. We later decided to remove it in case it caused any offence."
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"The dwelling is the only residential building in the immediate vicinity and is located along the main road through the Glencoe valley with an ever changing, dramatic landscape either side of the road. The closest town is Glencoe, approximately six miles to the west along the A82.
"With the well publicised history of the existing dwelling casting a shadow over the site, the client felt a contemporary approach was needed in contrast to the existing cottage which sits on the site."
Aslam plans to call the outbuilding of the new house the "Hamish House" in honour of famed mountaineer MacInnes, who created the Terrordactyl ice axe and the Macinnes stretcher, used by mountain rescue teams worldwide, on the site, after the existing cottage is demolished. However the businessman said that the replacement would be more sympathetic to the surroundings.
It has been reported that the family of retail tycoon Mr Aslam purchased the cottage for £335,000. The plans submitted in 2021 showed a futuristic new-build 'family home' but were rejected by objectors. The two-bedroom bungalow was put up for auction after Savile died in 2011 and a buyer, who intended to live there, paid £212,000 for it, but it was then bought by the family of Mr Aslam.
Vandals have targeted the cottage over the years (MAURICE MCDONALD/UNPIXS)The cottage has attracted vandals who daubed several slogans on its walls – which had been whitewashed years earlier. The word "paedo" was daubed on the side of the hillside house. Among previous slogans was scrawled "Jimmy the beast". Savile once entertained Prince Charles over dinner at the cottage, which he first saw on a cycling holiday in 1944 and it was featured in notorious Louis Theroux documentary When Louis Met Jimmy.
He became a regular in Glencoe village, with residents saying he was an 'attention-seeker' who would wander around in a Highland kilt waving at passing tourists. One man from the area described how he had asked for the disgraced DJ's autograph and instead got a bizarre message from him that read 'lost girls' should visit him.
It is hoped that work on the new scheme – if approved – would begin on the site next year, with a commemorative plaque to honour the achievements of MacInnes. Aslam said: "'We are pleased to have submitted a revised planning application to Highland council for the demolition of the existing cottage and replacement with an alternative residence sympathetic to the prestigious surroundings.
"The proposed design takes into account feedback from several consultations held with engaged stakeholders including Mountaineering Scotland, National Trust for Scotland, Highland council and most importantly, the local community.
"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."
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