A Fife family’s plans to demolish Jimmy Savile’s Highland cottage have been given the go-ahead.
The disgraced DJ lived at at Allt-na-Reigh in Glencoe, from 1998 until his death in 2011.
And he is believed to have abused 20 victims there.
Now, the family of Kirkcaldy-based retail boss Harris Aslam plan to knock the graffiti-covered building down and replace it with a brand new, four-bedroom home.
Aslam runs Greens Retail Ltd, which has convenience stores across Scotland.
And the family plans to honour celebrated climber and inventor Dr Hamish MacInnes through the new-build.
MacInnes, who died in 2020, invented ice axes and a stretcher used by mountain rescue teams all over the world.
Outbuildings where he worked on his creations will be redeveloped and named Hamish House.
Cottage targeted by protesters
The existing cottage lies in a sorry state, having been targeted by protesters when Savile’s horrific crimes came to light.
Aside from the graffiti, windows are smashed and tiles have been ripped off the roof.
Mr Aslam previously said he hoped something positive could be done with it.
The new home will be one-and-a-half storeys, with a two-storey rear section.
And the two buildings would be linked by a single storey section with a flat grass roof.
The Aslams submitted their plans in 2021 through the company Glencoe Cottage Ltd.
It prompted protests from objectors, including the National Trust for Scotland, who said the proposal did not fit the scenic landscape.
However, it was then revised to take account of planning concerns.
And Highland councillors gave the go-ahead on Tuesday.
Jimmy Savile entertained Prince Charles at Highland cottage
They agreed the existing cottage is “a blot on the landscape” and should go.
Savile first saw the cottage on a cycling holiday in 1944.
The disgraced DJ once entertained Prince Charles over dinner there.
And it featured in a notorious Louis Theroux documentary When Louis Met Jimmy.
Savile became a regular in Glencoe village, with residents saying he was an attention seeker who would wander around in a kilt waving a passing tourists.
One man from the area described how he asked for the DJ’s autograph and instead got a bizarre message from him saying “lost girls” should visit him.
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