A COUNCILLOR has urged two sides of a family embroiled in a demolition row to find “common ground”.
Yesterday The National revealed how Nick Charlton and Claire de Mortimer, left, have launched a campaign to save their home in Argyll and Bute.
The Josephine Marshall Trust, which owns the metal-clad Barr Bheag cottage, had been ordered to carry out essential repairs by a tribunal before submitting an application to raze the structure.
The Trust is named after Nick’s elder sister, who died 20 years ago, and counts his brother-in-law Robin Marshall as a trustee.
The house sits on a 4000 acre farm previously owned by Charlton’s grandparents and Robin Marshall told this newspaper that the dispute is part of an “extremely unhappy and unfortunate family situation”.
Yesterday Councillor Julie McKenzie, who represents Oban North and Lorn, urged the couple and the Trust to work to end the dispute.
The call comes as the local authority continues to receive submissions to planners about the proposal.
Officials have not yet made a recommendation in the case, which is likely to be decided by the Planning and Regulatory Services Committee.
Stating that demolition “seems extreme”, McKenzie went on: “I have great sympathy with the couple at the heart of this case.
“I have to appeal to both parties to look for mediation and some common ground so that an amicable solution can be set to allow Nick and Claire to stay in their family home.”
Charlton also operates a bike hire and repair business, the Rusty Cycle Shed, from Barguillean farm, which offers holiday accommodation and sits in the hills above Taynuilt. He said granting demolition would be contrary to local economic development plans.
Speaking to The National, de Mortimer said: “This is Nick’s grandparents’ farm, he has been coming here all his life. This is not just about losing our home, it’s about losing that connection to his family.
“It’s unlikely that we will be able to find somewhere else in the area that is affordable and where we can run a business.”
Marshall declined to go into detail about the matter, but said attempts to access the property and carry out repairs had been blocked.
He commented: “This is all part of an extremely unhappy and unfortunate family situation.
“There are many things being asserted, the truth of which we don’t accept.
“It is part of the whole scenario.”
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