While it was previously believed that the former home of disgraced TV presenter Jimmy Savile in Glencoe was in the process of being demolished, a visit to the site on Monday revealed the property is still standing.
The main house and outbuildings at Alt na Reigh, which were scheduled for “imminent” demolition in March, remain largely intact.
Contractors were pictured at the house in March, removing the roof, but since then, it appears work may have halted.
Worryingly, the area appears to have become a magnet for overnight campers and vandals.
Motorhomes could be seen at the controversial site using the fencing to hang washing lines.
Demolition at Savile house was due ‘as soon as possible’
Since the death of the former TV presenter in 2011 there has been a campaign to demolish the house.
A fire on February 8 partially destroyed an outbuilding at the cottage.
And in the aftermath, current owner and developer Harris Aslam said its demolition would take place “as soon as possible.”
On Monday, Fencing installed around the site to deter intruders had been toppled.
New graffiti has appeared on the derelict property.
There has been some progress in that the roof of the main house and the nearby sheds have been removed by contractors.
Despite this, wall insulation remains scattered across the site, some of which appears t have been used in an attempt to start a fire.
The driveway is being used by at least two campervans.
One campervan had a washing line strung over the collapsed Heras fencing, originally installed following a fire earlier in the year to restrict access.
Inside the main house, wall joists appear to have been forcibly removed, and clothes and shoes are strewn across the area, suggesting that people may have been camping within the derelict building.
One person found staying in the area told us they had “no comment” about spending the night on the site.
They had a “right” to camp in their van anywhere in Scotland, citing “right to roam” legislation.
Fencing at the Jimmy Savile house has been pushed over
Savile, a former BBC presenter and DJ, purchased the remote cottage at Alt na Reigh in Glencoe in the 1990s.
He would wave to passersby from his windows.
Known for his charity work during his lifetime, Savile was posthumously exposed as one of the UK’s most prolific sex offenders, with hundreds of allegations spanning decades.
His Glencoe home, once a symbol of his celebrity status, became a site of controversy after his crimes were revealed.
Vandalised with graffiti and abandoned for years, the cottage fell into disrepair.
In 2022, plans were announced to demolish the property and replace it with a new family home.
The demolition plans for Jimmy Savile’s former cottage at Allt-na-Reigh in Glencoe were approved by the Highland Council on 18 June 2024.
The proposal, submitted by current owner Harris Aslam, includes replacing the derelict building with a new four-bedroom home and redeveloping the outbuildings into an ancillary dwelling named Hamish House, in honour of the late mountaineer Dr Hamish MacInnes, a previous owner of the property.
A spokesman for Mr Aslam said: “We have carried out initial works to make the site safe in consultation with Highland Council.
“We are now awaiting a building warrant before commencing full works.”
Read more from the former Jimmy Savile cottage
The Jimmy Savile house: Timeline of events in bid to demolish and rebuild in Glen Coe
Crews spend 9 hours battling fire in building at Jimmy Savile’s former Glencoe cottage
Exclusive: Pictures show demolition underway at Jimmy Savile cottage
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