The billionaire owner of online fashion giant ASOS is locked in a row over plans to create a tourist resort in an idyllic and remote part of the Scottish Highlands.
Danish tycoon Anders Holch Povlsen wants to build the development in a village off an iconic Scottish tourist route known as the North Coast 500.
However, rival hotel owners in the village claim the plans will affect their business and deprive them of trade.
Under the plans submitted in December, the tourist attraction would be located in Tongue, a village off the North Coast 500.
If approved, the project would include a restaurant, bakehouse, stonecutters, shop, events space, a hotel and a microbrewery.
Danish tycoon Anders Holch Povlsen hopes to build a tourist resort in the Scottish Highlands that would include a restaurant, bakehouse, stonecutters, shop, a hotel and a microbrewery
Danish tycoon Anders Holch Povlsen is pictured with his wife Anne Storm. The couple lost three of their children in the Sri Lanka terror attacks in 2019
Rival hotel owners in the village claim the plans (an artist’s impression is shown) will affect their business and deprive them of trade
Mr Povlsen, who is also the owner of the Bestseller clothing brand, is a married father-of-four with a reported net worth of £6.1billion.
He tragically lost three of his children – Alfred, five, Agnes, 12, and Alma, 15 – in the Sri Lanka terrorist attacks in April last year.
Povlsen is Scotland’s biggest landowner after recently surpassed the former Scottish record of 217,000 acres, which was held by the Duke of Buccleuch.
Suzanne Mackay, owners of the Kyle of Tongue Hostel and Holiday Park, said: ‘We strongly object to the accommodation portion of the proposed development.
‘There has undoubtedly been an increase in visitors to the area over the last few years, due in part to the NC500 route which has in turn led to an increase in accommodation requirements, both availability and type.
‘However, this need has been answered by businesses in the area, with many new accommodation options having been developed or made available (e.g. self-catering holidays lets, new hotel, glamping developments).
The billionaire owner of clothing giant ASOS is locked in a row over plans to create a tourist resort in an idyllic and remote part of the Scottish Highlands
Mr Povlsen lost three of his children – Alfred, five, Agnes, 12, and Alma, 15 (pictured) – in the Sri Lanka terrorist attacks in April last year
‘We ourselves have also heavily invested in this, with the purchase and upgrade of the local hostel and the subsequent construction and development of a fully equipped campsite in its grounds.
‘We did this as we identified a business need for affordable accommodation and camping type facilities in the area and produced business plans which supported this.
‘This is being built solely to meet a ‘vision’ for the area as devised by a corporation.
‘This is not fair competition for other accommodation providers in the area and will directly displace business from us and other providers.’
Sarah Fox, from the Ben Loyal Hotel in the village, said: ‘Small businesses are struggling with increased costs, the uncertainty of the impact of Brexit, increased rates and the availability of employees etc which may not be a factor to bigger entities.
‘This development will most definitely impact not just ourselves but many other local businesses too.
‘Trying to compete with a company that has no need to make a profit is unsustainable.’
Local Scott Cargill, added: ‘It will be directly in competition with similar local businesses which already struggle to have enough bookings through the season & it is the last thing that the local people need!!
The tourist attraction would be located in Tongue, a village off the North Coast 500 scenic route in the Scottish Highlands. The iconic route starts and ends at Inverness Castle (shown)
Under the plans submitted in December, the tourist attraction would be located in Tongue (pictured), a village off the North Coast 500
‘Unfair to local business to allow planning for this.’
The Bestseller clothing chief executive began building his property portfolio in 2006 through his company Wildland Ltd with the £7.9 million acquisition of Glenfeshie, a 42,000-acre patch of the Cairngorms National Park.
Two years later he spent £15.5 million buying the 23,000-acre Braeroy estate near Fort William, the nearby Tulloch estate and Lynaberack in the Cairngorms, all in Inverness-shire.
Four estates were added between 2011 and 2015, and another three in 2016.
Last year, it was announced he had bought the 1,100-acre Kinrara estate near Aviemore.
Mr Povlsen regularly travels to Scotland to holiday with his family and has fallen in love with the area’s stunning scenery.
He said: ‘This love of the Scotland Highlands has manifested itself with ever-greater involvement over the years.
‘We have also grown to appreciate the breadth of issues and opportunity that we, together with our growing team, are now responsible for.
Mr Povlsen has bought 11 Scottish estates (pictured as of 2016) and is understood to be eyeing up yet more
‘The language of Wildland’s long term vision is conservation, restoration and rehabilitation.
‘Whilst progress can sometimes seem glacial, each year that passes ensures that more and more of the big picture begins to reveal itself.’
A spokesman for Wildland said in response to the concerns: ‘We are actively listening to the views of the community, and look forward to seeing this application progress through the planning process.
‘These plans remain at a very early stage.
‘The revitalisation of this part of the village will, of course, be a highly collaborative effort, with a strong focus on complementing Tongue’s already estimable visitor attractions.
‘In the context of the growing tourism business related to the NC500 the local economic prospects are looking brighter than they have for many years.’
‘Leaving this site to become derelict is not an option.’