The new owner of Jimmy Savile’s cottage in Glencoe wants to turn it into a family home, according to newly-published plans.
Builder Michael Canny, of Glasgow, bought Allt na Reigh at auction in May for £212,000 and now wants to start renovating it.
His first step is to instal a water supply to the two-bedroom property and an application for this has been lodged with Highland Council.
Savile bought the cottage, beside the A82 Fort William to Glasgow road in 1998 and owned it until he died in 2011, aged 84.
Since the shamed broadcaster’s crimes came to light, the building has been subject to a number of graffiti attacks although there is no evidence that Savile abused any of his victims there.
No one has ever been charged with the vandalism.
Mr Canny could not be contacted for comment, but according to a letter lodged with the planning authority, he wants to make a break with the “unfortunate history” of the house.
He said that the intention was to create a family home.
He said: “The property has some unfortunate history attached to it and we would hope to detach the property and ourselves from this.
“In the future we would hope to seek planning permission to alter the property, with respect to the immediate landscape but to make it more hospitable for family use.”
The application requests permission to instal a borehole with pump and ancillary works for the water supply.
In his letter, Mr Canny said that the original water supply was sourced from the mountain stream but this has been corrupted and the original tank is unfit to be used.
Plans to turn Allt na Reigh into a retreat for the disabled collapsed after the revelations about Savile’s abusive behaviour.
Some argued for its demolition, while others called for it to be saved because it was once home to mountaineer Hamish MacInnes who set up the Glencoe team and the mountain rescue movement in Scotland.