A former Desert Island Discs presenter and her husband have bought Loch Lomond’s Wallaby Island.
Inchconnachan Island was purchased for a reported fee of around £1.5m by Kirsty Young and husband Nick, who runs the £1.4bn Soho House empire.
The new owners have pledged to transform it into “a beautiful place for everyone to enjoy”.
Plans have now submitted to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, which include a three bedroom, two storey timber lodge with jetty.
A boat shelter and warden’s accommodation comprising provision for one bedroom, a bathroom, shower/wet room, open plan living, kitchen, dining and a multi-functional space would also be created if given the go ahead.
The developers also aim to demolish the ruins of the colonial-style timber bungalow built in the 1920s and believed to have been built by retired tea merchant Admiral Sullivan and boat shelter, creating a natural wet woodland on the site.
The island had been owned by the Colquhoun family since the 14th century but no one has lived there since daredevil aristocrat Fiona Gore, Countess of Arran and champion powerboat racer, left two decades ago.
Lady Arran of Colquhoun introduced red-neck wallabies to the area in the 1940s, and they remain there to this day.
The island’s habitat is very similar to their native Tasmania and, by 1993, there were an estimated 125 living on Inchconnachan.
Outlining their vision in a planning document, the developers say: “The island is a beautiful and sensitive place, well protected for its historic woodlands, habitat and natural beauty but it is in a declining poor condition and under growing pressure from an increasing number of visitors, anti-social behaviour and grazing herbivores.
“We believe a bold, high-quality, comprehensive, sustainable and committed long-term plan is required to reverse the declining condition of the woodlands and to make this island world class, both in terms of its habitat and visitor experience.”
The new owners promise to eradicate invasive rhododendron on the island, and promote the natural regeneration of oak, birch, rowan and alder.
They also say that they will employ a full-time warden and believe the development will help combat anti-social behaviour on the island and on the water, particularly during summer.
Planning documents add: “The island has been severely neglected over many years, the existing lodge is rotting away, the boat shelter has almost disintegrated, camp fires are evident all over the island, rhododendrons are spreading, non-native invasive tree species are everywhere and some trees have been cut down for firewood.
“There are also many reports of anti-social behaviour, particularly during the busy summer months. We want to reverse this decline and bring the island back to its majestic best.”
