AN SNP MP has said he will be meeting with the community in Kenmore over plans to turn a historic Scottish castle into a high-security compound for the mega-rich.
The community council in the village has pledged that it will continued to represent local people amid uproar over the plans.
US real-estate firm Discovery Land Company (DLC) is looking to build the gated community on the shores of Loch Tay, where access will be limited to paying members and support staff.
It wants to build 208 exclusive properties, as well as a members-only clubhouse, sports centre and "wellness facility".
A petition aiming to block the plan has reached more than 14,500 signatures.
The plans are now set to be discussed at a public meeting in Aberfeldy this Thursday from 7-8.30pm in the Locus Centre. Both SNP MP Pete Wishart (below) and former deputy first minister John Swinney will be in attendance.
In a post on Twitter, Wishart said: "John (Swinney) and I will be meeting Kenmore community on Thursday evening to discuss the Taymouth Castle development."
The plans will also be on the agenda when Kenmore and District Community Council next meet at the end of August.
Community council member Colin Morton said the group wants to hear from people on all sides of the debate.
It is keen to address some of the “scaremongering” over the project.
Morton told The Courier: “Taymouth Castle has a legacy of developers not doing what they promised.
“But the majority of the feedback I am hearing locally is that there is a sense of things going in the right direction this time, and that Kenmore is already beginning to see some benefits.”
He said the community council had developed a good relationship with Discovery Land Company, but that it had a duty to be impartial and independent.
Morton added: “Our responsibility is to local people, not to think of the wider picture. Kenmore as a community is quite small. There are only a few hundred people. They are the most important here.”
What has DLC said?
The DLC project is the latest in a string of development plans for Taymouth Castle which have come to nothing in recent years.
The group bought the property in 2018 and it has subsequently purchased a series of properties and parcels of land around the area.
These include the former village shop and post office, the Kenmore hotel and the coffee shop and boating jetties on the loch side.
A spokesperson for DLC said: “We will continue to work with the Kenmore and District Community Council to ensure the accuracy of information provided, enabling informed decision-making based on facts rather than speculation.
“We remain open to addressing any questions or concerns and providing regular updates on the development through the Welcome to Taymouth website and via public exhibitions such as the one held in Kenmore in June.”
