A reclusive billionaire who joined the campaign to oppose the Beauly-Denny pylon upgrade has slashed the price of his Highland home – by £12million.
Canadian telecoms tycoon Brendan Clouston put his stunning mansion and 546-acre Eilean Aigas island estate near Beauly on the market in 2012 with an asking price of £15million.
It came a year after he tried to block the forced sale of part of his land to make way for the power scheme.
But after almost three years on the market, the prime property is now scheduled to go to auction in September for a price in excess of £3million if it has not sold.
Mr Clouston, no longer spends long spells at Eilean Aigas and has relocated to his Channel Islands home.
He was not available last night to comment on the radical price drop for the mansion, gate house and hunting lodge, which are surrounded by mature woodland and parkland.
Evelyn Channing of Savill’s in Edinburgh said: “It really is an extraordinary house, very imposing and grand but hidden and private at the same time.”
The four-storey mansion house was built in 2006 on a high bank above a river on the eastern side of the island and is modelled on the original huntin glodge.
Mr Clouston designed the property for maximum privacy.
Logs for open fires are brought in via service lifts to individual rooms with back stairs allowing staff and guests to move around without imposing on the principal reception rooms.
The design “creates a peaceful ambience and tranquillity in harmony with the surroundings”, the selling notes from Savills said,
The energy giant applied for a compulsory purchase order for his land, which lay in a narrow strip between Eskadale and Hughton.
Mr Clouston helped finance the local campaign group Pylon Pressure and gave evidence at the public inquiry in to SSE’s plans.
In 2012, a spokesman for Mr Clouston confirmed the new power line had contributed to his decision to sell the island estate.
At the time, Mr Clouston said he had made many friends in the Highlands and would miss the area as he embarked on a new development project in Guernsey.
