HIGHLANDS planning officials have recommended a cottage once owned by paedophile TV presenter Jimmy Savile is to be demolished.
The cottage, Allt-na-Reigh, is located in the heart of Glen Coe and was one of many properties once owned by Savile. It has been repeatedly vandalised since his death in 2011.
Highland Council planning officers have recommended granting permission for the derelict building to be destroyed and the site redeveloped.
Councillors will meet to consider the application next week, on June 18.
READ MORE: ScotRail services set to return following repairs after Ayr Station Hotel fire
Savile owned the cottage from 1998 until his death and some locals have expressed their disappointment that the disgraced TV presenter’s short association with the building has overshadowed its long history.
The building's new owners plan to redevelop the cottage to honour another one of its past occupants, Dr Hamish MacInnes, a famous Scottish mountaineer and inventor.
Dr MacInnes, who died in 2020, was the inventor of ice axes and the stretcher that is used by mountain rescue teams all over the world still to this day.
Under the proposals, the outbuildings would be redeveloped and named Hamish House, to celebrate the late doctor and once-resident of Allt-na-Reigh.
The little cottage which is tucked into the hillside beside the A82 overlooks the spectacular Three Sisters ridges of the mountain Bidean nam Bian.
It now belongs to the family of Harris Aslam, who is the boss of the Kirkcaldy-based convenience stores firm Greens Retail Ltd.
Allt-na-Reigh translates roughly to the Burn of the Shieling or Ground at the Foot of the Mountain in Gaelic.
The cottage has been covered in graffiti since the decades of exploitation of young vulnerable women by Savile came to light after his death.
The Dame Janet Smith review, which was published in 2016, identified 72 victims of Savile in connection with his work as a presenter at the BBC.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel