Locals fears idyllic cottage owned by paedo Jimmy Savile could become Airbnb
An idyllic Scottish cottage once belonging to paedophile Jimmy Savile could be turned into an Airbnb, locals fear.
The whitewashed cottage near Glencoe in the Highlands was bought by the vile DJ in 1998 and used it as a holiday home until his death in 2011. Since then, it was sold at auction for £212,000 to a Glasgow builder, before being sold to retail tycoon Harris Aslam.
But now locals are worried the tainted property could be rented out to tourists after development plans were submitted to Highland Council by the Aslam family. The family previously submitted similar development plans before withdrawing them last year, MailOnline reports.
Several objections have been made to the latest proposals, including Stirling resident John Nish, who said: "I have nothing against the idea of the property being inhabited again, particularly in the context of declining population in areas of the Highlands such as Lochaber. However, as per other comments, the scale of the redevelopment does make me wonder if this is indeed for a family dwelling, or rather for a potential Airbnb/holiday home."
A view of graffiti daubed on the highland cottage, which Savile owned between 1998 and 2011 when he died (PA)Graham Lawrie, from the Highland village of Kinlochleven, said: "Yet again this proposal is not in keeping with the Glen, and will be a two-storey build and not the one-storey of the original. This is NOT a family residence, which is made obvious by extra accommodation in the outbuilding.
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"The layout screams of a high-end holiday/Airbnb let, which is also not in keeping with the area. As a local to the area of 56 years, I wish to object strongly to this monstrosity of a building that is replacing a one-storey building."
A mountaineering group is among the many to raise objections to the latest plans for Allt-na-Reigh, which Savile bought off legendary mountaineer Hamish MacInnes. Mountaineering Scotland has urged the Highlands Council to reject the proposal, claiming a modern development would ruin what it describes as "one of Scotland’s most iconic views".
The former Highland home of Jimmy Savile in Glencoe, Argyll (SWNS.com)A spokesperson said: “We understand the desire to redevelop the existing cottage and have no issue with the renovation of a cottage on the existing development footprint or the principle of demolishing the existing cottage to enable it to be replaced with a new build. We urge Highland Council to reject this proposal as it stands, until the applicant provides a landscape and visual impact assessment of the development against the special qualities of the national scenic area, from key recreational routes and viewpoints in this part of Glencoe.”
“It is our opinion, which we trust the Highland Council shares, that a modern structure which may have an impact on views within a national scenic area should be carefully considered.” The Mirror has contacted both Highland Council and National Trust for Scotland, which owns 14,000 acres in Glencoe and has also spoken out against the plans.
A spokesperson for the Highland Council said the planning application for the cottage was "currently under consideration" and, as a result, it would not be "appropriate to comment" on a "pending application". “All we can say is that all comments received during the planning process will be taken into consideration before a decision is made,” the spokesperson told The Mirror.
The property has previously been targeted by vandals over its link to notorious Savile, who abused hundreds of children and young people during his career as a DJ and BBC presenter, as well as through his charity and volunteer work for various hospitals and organisations.
Savile is unmentioned in the official planning documents for the house. It's understood that the Aslam family has previously denied any claims the cottage would be transformed into an Airbnb. The Mirror contacted the Glenshire Group, run by Mr Aslam, for further comment.
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