Jeremy Hosking’s purchase of Kinloch Castle on Rum must work for the community – or the sale could be in jeopardy.
Isle of Rum Community Trust and government minister Lorna Slater held crisis talks this week.
Islanders have pointed out that they live on Rum, and the deal must be agreeable to them.
All parties including the buyer, the seller and the community are keen to work together to make it happen.
‘Buyer must find a way to work with us’
Alison Morris, chairwoman of IRCT, said: “They have got to realise, we live here. It has to work for us.
“We got that reassurance from the minister. If the buyer is not willing to try and find a way to work with us, we are willing to look at all the options to make it work.
“If he is not it is in jeopardy. The ball is in his court.”
IRCT asked Ms Slater to step in. They fear aspects of the sale to millionaire financier Jeremy Hosking could be to the detriment of island life.
The former Victorian pleasure palace has slowly fallen into disrepair under decades of public ownership.
NatureScot sought a benefactor to take it on and save the heavy burden on the public purse.
Up stepped Mr Hosking, who has recently acquired Arisaig House for £2.8million.
Plans to restore castle and operate as a hotel
He intends to put Kinloch Castle into a charitable trust. It will be preserved and restored before being turned into a hotel business.
But locals are concerned about proposals to move the access route which runs through the village to the castle – effectively splitting the village in half.
Moving the route so that the castle can be accessed from the rear would give guests privacy.
But IRCT, which owns most of the village, wants legally binding agreements in place before the sale goes through.
It has several concerns about the sale and wrote to Ms Slater seeking urgent ministerial intervention.
A deadline for the sale was given as Monday – but Ms Slater said this date was not fixed and delayed the deal going through.
She held online talks with IRCT late on Wednesday afternoon and promised to advocate on behalf of the community.
Minister hears directly from community
Ms Slater said: “I was grateful for the opportunity to hear directly from the Isle of Rum Community Trust on its concerns in relation to the proposed private sale of Kinloch Castle. It is clear to me that the future of the castle is dependent on the support of the community on Rum.
“Scottish Ministers are keen to find a sustainable solution for the castle that eases the burden on the public purse, but not at any cost. The ideal solution must work for community, particularly in a fragile island setting. I am confident that we can work together going forward to find a way to secure a future for the Castle that works for all.”
Mrs Morris said the sale going ahead depends on how flexible the buyer is willing to be. She said: “It was a good meeting. She was very willing to listen to us, understand we do have concerns that are valid. And she apologised that it got to this stage. We shouldn’t have had to seek ministerial support.
“But we are here.
“Next NatureScot need to work with all parties. If it doesn’t work for this buyer, it will work for another buyer.
‘The community is not trying to be difficult’
“At first we didn’t want to get too involved. But they have certainly got our attention now. We will put as much energy as we can spare to make this work.
“The community is not trying to be difficult. We feel we have got serious valid concerns.
“If it doesn’t work for the community it can’t go ahead. A way forward can be found if NatureScot works with us.”
A spokeswoman for NatureScot said: “We are aware of the meeting between Minister Lorna Slater and the IRCT and we will reflect on the issues raised.”
All aspects of the deal, including the access road, are still up for discussion.
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