logo
Plans for sauna in Loch Ness pub owned by Anders Holch Povlsen

Plans for sauna in Loch Ness pub owned by Anders Holch Povlsen

The National6 hours ago

Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen's estate management company WildLand purchased the Dores Inn on Loch Ness last year. It is located in the village of Dores, around 10 miles south of Inverness.
In plans outlined to Highland Council, and reported by the BBC, WildLand has proposed renovating and expanding the inn, as well as revamping its car park and public toilets.
READ MORE: Labour MP calls for Palestine Action to be banned under terror law after RAF break in
The proposals include a sauna, beach cafe, bakery, shop, public toilets, car parking, a service building, landscaping and paths.
Holch Povlsen, the majority shareholder in online fashion giant Asos, is recognised as the richest person in Scotland. He is estimated to be worth almost £8 billion, according to The Sunday Times Rich List.
His company WildLand already owns the nearby 300-year-old Aldourie Castle, as well as 500 acres of grounds and woodland.
The National previously told how WildLand said the inn is expected to reopen in 2026/2027 following restoration work.
A full planning application is expected to be submitted to Highland Council before the end of the year.
The company is set to hold public exhibitions on its plans at the inn on June 27 and 28.
READ MORE: Man dies after wild swimming off coast of Scottish island
WildLand chief executive Tim Kirkwood said: "The Dores Inn sits at the heart of a much-loved community setting.
"As we explore options for its restoration and long-term operation, we're committed to involving the community from the outset."
Lavinia Turner, head of region at WildLand Loch Ness, said: "The Dores Inn has always been more than a pub – it's a gathering place, a gateway to the loch, and an important part of local life.
"We want to restore that role and build on it, creating something that works year-round for the area."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Senior Edinburgh councillors back giving themselves a pay hike
Senior Edinburgh councillors back giving themselves a pay hike

Edinburgh Reporter

timean hour ago

  • Edinburgh Reporter

Senior Edinburgh councillors back giving themselves a pay hike

Senior Edinburgh councillors have backed giving themselves a pay hike, with only one member speaking out in opposition. In February, Edinburgh Council agreed to freeze pay for senior councillors – including political group leaders and committee conveners – at the previous year's levels. But at Thursday's meeting all political groups except the SNP voted in favour of raising pay for senior councillors, with most getting an uplift of £4,637 to their annual pay packets – an 11.6% jump. Council committee conveners, as well as the SNP, Conservative and Liberal Democrat group leaders, will all get £4,637 added to their annual pay, bringing them to £44,644 per year, up from £40,027 from the previous year. And the depute council leader, Labour's Mandy Watt, will also get a £4,637 pay hike, bringing her total compensation to £52,669, up from £48,032 before. A council spokesperson said the increase in pay for senior councillors was intended to match the pay hike given to non-senior councillors by the Scottish Government. While local authorities have the power to set the pay of senior councillors, the rates for all other councillors are set by the Scottish Government, including the council's leader and Lord Provost, based on the fidings of the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee (SLARC). Earlier this year, it mandated that the salary for most councillors be raised to £25,982 per year, up £4,637 from their previous pay of £21,345, which stood unchanged for several years. Labour councillor and council leader Jane Meagher is paid £71,519 per year, while Lord Provost Robert Aldridge is paid £53,640. Depute council leader, Labour councillor Mandy Watt, said: 'I sat down and read the guidance, and it does say that in your approach to this, you should be doing councillor remuneration from the bottom up, not the top down. 'I very much appreciate the support that I've had [from officers] to get all this together.' An SNP source said: 'Councillors have been chronically underpaid for decades, and normally I'd take the view that we remunerate the position held, rather than the individual holding it. 'But the current crop of administration conveners are so inept that we could not support them getting a pay hike.' A council spokesperson said: 'While we don't set the rates of pay for non-senior councillor roles it's appropriate that we publish them and provide elected members with the opportunity to scrutinise rates for full transparency. 'The increase in Senior Councillors' remuneration was agreed by Council yesterday, and now includes the increase to the Councillor basic pay set by the Scottish Government.' Only one member, Labour councillor Katrina Faccenda, spoke out against the pay hikes. She said: 'I think you should take note of which councillors are getting extra money, and you should work out whether you are getting value for money from those councillors. 'Since this is public money, and I don't think anyone in here would support the misuse of public money, I'd ask the public to have a look at that, and work out if they think that in Edinburgh Council, the extra money they have to spend to subsidise councillors is being used in the right way.' Cllr Faccenda, who will not financially benefit from the pay increase for senior councillors, voted to support the hike. Meanwhile, independent councillor Ross McKenzie voted with the SNP to oppose the pay hike. Green co-convener, councillor Chas Booth, said: 'Greens think it is right that people are paid appropriately for the work they do, and we welcomed the recommendations of the Scottish Local Authority Remuneration Committee around councillors' salaries. 'Pay is a significant barrier to people from marginalised groups entering politics, and if we want to see more diversity in our councillors to reflect the rich diversity of the communities we serve, then we need to ensure people without independent income can become elected representatives. 'However, we acknowledge that while so many people in Edinburgh continue to face a cost-of-living crisis caused by years of austerity which is now being continued by the Labour government at Westminster, the Labour council administration doesn't feel that big increases in senior councillor pay were not appropriate. 'Therefore Green councillors were happy to support their proposals around this.' By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related

East Lothian Council gets red card over parking meter plans
East Lothian Council gets red card over parking meter plans

Edinburgh Reporter

timean hour ago

  • Edinburgh Reporter

East Lothian Council gets red card over parking meter plans

Councillors behind plans to introduce parking charges in an East Lothian town centre have been given the red card by angry residents. More than 100 people attended a community meeting on Thursday to share their views on proposals to introduce meters as part of a county wide move by the local authority to manage parking in towns. The audience were handed green and red cards to hold up after questions were answered to show their support or rejections of the answers given. And Provost John McMillan, who made the case for the council's proposals found himself faced with a sea of red cards in response to his comments during the meeting. East Lothian MSP and former Scottish Housing Minister Paul McLennan addresses meeting about introduce parking charges in Haddington town centre It was claimed the charges would drive away customers from the town centre and penalise the sick. Former Housing Minister Paul McLennan MSP, who recently stepped down from the post to spend more time with his East Lothian constituents, told the meeting he could not support the parking charges plan for the town. He said the council had provided no evidence of the impact they would have on local shops and businesses and no costing for introducing the new system. He said: 'I can't support the current proposals when no impact assessment has been carried out and we don't know how much it is going to cost. We do not know how it will impact our high streets and trade.' The meeting heard from Garry Clark from the Federation of Small Businesses, who said its East Lothian members had raised concerns that the charges would drive away customers and were not fair. He pointed to similar schemes which had been introduced in Angus and Inverurie which he said had damaged town centres with councils having to go back to the drawing board. Mr Clark said: 'When you have retail parks on the edge of town with free parking and online shopping where people aren't having to park anywhere, it is unfair to charge customers who want to go into the town centre to shop.' Provost McMillan, who lives in Haddington and is the council administration's economic spokesperson, insisted the proposals, which have been included in a parking management scheme first put forward by the Labour administration in 2018, aimed to keep cars moving in the town centre with funds raised going back into the roads. However he drew criticism from members of the public who questioned why there was a free car park for East Lothian Council staff at the local authority's Haddington town centre headquarters. One resident asked: 'Whey are council staff able to park for free while everyone else has to pay?' Councillor McMillan also drew gasps from some members of the audience when he told them that it has, in his opinion, become 'inbred that you can park anywhere you want in Haddington'. Haddington and District Community Council, who organised the meeting in the town's Knox Academy, described a council survey carried out as part of the public consultation into the proposals as 'bias' saying it carried out its own questionnaire which received hundreds of responses for the town's residents, visitors and traders. They said when asked if there were parking problems in Haddington over 85% said no with the number who were against the introduction of meters rising to the high nineties. Mr McMillan stressed that the consultation was ongoing and the views of people in the town would be considered. He told the meeting: 'I am here to listen, I am here to answer questions and I am here to collaborate with you.' However his responses to questions about the staff car park in the town centre and explanations about trying to make people less dependent on cars to travel into the town saw red cards raised in response almost unanimously by the audience. The council proposes changing the town centre parking in Haddington, which currently offers 90 minutes before drivers have to move on, to 30 minutes free and then charges being introduced. However people at the meeting questioned whether it was possible for people, who travel into the town from outlying rural communities, to come into town and carry out appointments in the new 30 minute limit. East Lothian MSP Craig Hoy who has been a vocal opponent of the council's ongoing plans to introduce parking charges across the county, said it would mean charging the sick. He said: 'I have my constituency office in Haddington town centre and know how long a chat with a constituent who comes in to see me can take. 'What happens when they come in for GP appointments or have to collect prescriptions? This can't be done in 30 minutes so we are charging people who are sick to come and get help.' By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related

Iconic Scottish road trip ranked among world's most Instagrammable destinations
Iconic Scottish road trip ranked among world's most Instagrammable destinations

Daily Record

time3 hours ago

  • Daily Record

Iconic Scottish road trip ranked among world's most Instagrammable destinations

It ranked an incredible fifth in the world with 694,511 Instagram mentions A breathtaking Scottish route has driven its way into the global spotlight, after being named one of the most picturesque road trips on Earth in a new study of Instagram data. The North Coast 500, a spectacular 516-mile loop through the Scottish Highlands, has been ranked fifth in the world and second in Europe by cinch, the UK's largest online used car retailer. ‌ Researchers analysed 40 iconic road trips across six continents, looking at how often each was shared on Instagram using popular hashtags. Scotland's NC500 racked up 694,511 hashtag mentions, largely under #nc500 (519,000) and #northcoast500 (175,000). ‌ Cinch said: "Completing the top five is Scotland's North Coast 500, clinching 694,511 Instagram hashtag mentions. Most tend to accompany their scenic Scottish snaps with #nc500 (519,000 uses) and #northcoast500 (175,000)." Beginning and ending in Inverness, the NC500 winds through remote beaches, majestic Munros, rugged cliffs and ancient castles. It typically takes five to seven days to complete and has earned a 4.7-star TripAdvisor rating, beloved by photographers, nature lovers and road trippers alike. But taking the top spot worldwide was a truly iconic route: Route 66. Route 66 takes first place with over 2.4 million Instagram hashtag mentions, proving that you just can't beat the classics. The legendary 2,448-mile highway connects Chicago to Los Angeles, cutting through America's heartland and offering an unforgettable blend of big cities, small towns, diners, deserts and ghost towns. ‌ Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way ranked just behind at number two globally, claiming the top spot in Europe. The route boasts over 1.9 million Instagram mentions, thanks to stunning coastal images posted under hashtags like #wildatlanticway. Spanning an astonishing 1,600 miles from the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal to Kinsale in County Cork, it holds the title of the world's longest defined coastal route, offering breathtaking cliffs, remote beaches and endless Atlantic views. The Wild Atlantic Way and the NC500 were the only European road trips to make the top 10, but four more bagged spots in the top 20. ‌ The Ring Road in Iceland had 295k Instagram posts, while Ireland's second entry was the Ring of Kerry with 262k. The Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland (232k) and Germany's Romantic Road (42k) rounded out Europe's inclusion in the top 20. Cinch's motoring editor Sam Sheehan commented: 'There's something unmatched about exploring the world from behind the wheel – stopping when you like, chasing views, discovering unexpected places. ‌ "These drives capture the imagination of millions because they offer freedom, beauty and a bit of adventure. 'Whether you hire a car to go from Chicago to California or take your pride and joy around the NC500, a little research can help you set up the road trip of a lifetime.' The top ten most Instagrammed road trips in the world: Route 66, USA, North America – 2.4 million hashtags Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland, Europe – 1.9 million Great Ocean Road, Australia, Oceania – 1.6 million Blue Ridge Parkway, USA, North America – 722K North Coast 500, Scotland, Europe – 695K Garden Route, South Africa, Africa – 634K Carretera Austral, Chile, South America – 581K Silk Road, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan & China, Asia – 512K Pacific Coast Highway, USA, North America – 453K Hana Highway, USA, North America – 431K

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store