About 30 properties on a Lochaber estate, including four former hunting lodges, could form part of a new hotel and holiday lettings business planned by the owners of Fort William’s aluminium smelter.
The proposal is part of plans being developed by Jahama Highland Estates to revitalise the 114,000 acres of land bought by its parent, GFG Alliance, along with the metal plant last year. The estate, which includes the foothills of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, has about 50 buildings of various sizes.
Jahama chief executive Duncan Mackison said: “So much of the estate is tired, it looks run down and there’s years of frustration through people not having been able to communicate with the owner.
“I’ve got the full backing of GFG. I’ve done structural condition surveys of all the buildings we’ve got and we now need to deliver. We know what we need to do and we just need to start doing it. I think across this year people will see buildings starting to be renovated and community projects coming to life.
“The other thing I am excited about is whether we can, with a hotel and holiday letting business, package up a lot of the properties we’ve got and try to do that in a oner.
“Some of the bigger places are very run down and desperately need some TLC. Most have cottages with them.”
The plan includes lodges at Mamore, near Kinlochleven, and Killiechonate, by Spean Bridge, as well as at Sherramore and Glenshero beside Laggan.
Mr Mackison said the firm was also in discussions over replacing a hostel in Kinlochleven, rented by the Ministry of Defence for winter training.
