A government minister has responded to calls to intervene in the controversial sale of Kinloch Castle on the isle of Rum.
Lorna Slater, minister responsible for NatureScot, is due to meet the Isle of Rum Community Trust today.
And she has promised to advocate on their behalf in the sale to multi-millionaire financier Jeremy Hosking.
IRCT owns Kinloch village. The castle is owned by NatureScot. Once a proud Victorian pleasure palace, it has fallen into disrepair after decades of public ownership.
Mr Hosking will create a charitable trust to restore the castle and its contents so that it can be operated as a hotel.
Call for ministerial intervention
But IRCT fears the impact the sale will have on island life. They asked Ms Slater to step in to protect their rights.
Legally binding agreements must be in place before the sale goes through, they said.
A plan to divert the main access route through the village to the castle is causing particular concern. This would give privacy to guests.
But Alison Morris, chairwoman of IRCT said it would mean, “a long detour that would effectively split the village in two.”
Ms Slater responded to the plea. She asked to hear concerns first-hand and invited the trust to an online meeting on Wednesday.
Community interests to be ‘an integral part of the agreements’
The minister wrote: “I fully understand the concerns set out by IRCT that a sustainable future for Kinloch Castle will require community interests to be an integral part of the agreements put in place with the prospective buyer.”
Ms Slater continued: “I have been briefed on NatureScot’s recent activities in working with IRCT to navigate a workable solution that meets the interests of the community, and I have emphasised the need to uphold the highest standards when it comes to land reform and community empowerment.”
Now further work is to be carried out to ensure all issues are addressed.
Mrs Morris said: “It is a relief to get a communication from the minister at long last.
“Not knowing what is happening has caused the community a lot of stress.
“All we want is a meeting to tell us where we stand with NatureScot.
‘Going back to square one’
“Had the minister been involved from the start, we wouldn’t be going back to square one. To get a meeting from the NatureScot minister so we know where we stand with land reform.”
She added: “They are selling public land to the private sector. They have a responsibility to the community. It’s the end of the game. A private owner could be a brilliant person or they could be something else entirely.
“A public agency like NatureScot should be a model of good practice and NatureScot is not doing a very good job of showing that.”
However, NatureScot said it has been working closely with IRCT to secure the future of the castle, and it will continue to do so. A range of options, including community asset transfer, have been unsuccessful.
NatureScot ‘follows best practices’
A spokeswoman said the sale of Kinloch Castle had been offered to community interests.
NatureScot fully supports the Land Reform Bill and follows best practices and protocols, she insisted.
This deal will save the castle at no cost to the public purse, she said.
Referring to the access issue, she said the buyer, “has set out his desire for a degree of privacy across the front of the castle. There are solutions on the negotiating table and a desire from Mr Hosking to find mutually agreeable alternative access arrangements.”
Failure to sell the castle will result in managing it to a state of decline and ruin. NatureScot warned this would cost the taxpayer around £1 million.
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