£1.3bn Highland playground for the super-rich

WITH membership fees an astronomical £2 million and annual dues of £500,000, it aims to be the most exclusive "holiday" resort ever built in Scotland.

Ambitious plans were unveiled yesterday to transform one of the most remote stretches of Highland Perthshire into a 1.3 billion private playground for the world's super-rich.

The Dall Estate, on the shores of Loch Rannoch, is set to become a "mini Monaco" in the heart of the Scottish countryside – a home from home for billionaires, Russian oligarchs, heads of state, the international glitterati and Hollywood and sporting superstars.

The developers claim the plan – said to be unprecedented in Scotland in its scale and ambition – will generate nearly 250 million for the economy during the three-year construction phase alone. And they say it will be unrivalled in scale when it comes to the facilities and opulence on offer to the elite clientle they expect to be attracted to the "world-class luxury development".

However, concerns have already been raised by local groups and the John Muir Trust (JMT) about the potential environmental impact of the development, and the fact a large area would no longer be accessible to the public. Echoing some of the concerns raised by the Trump development in the North-east, the JMT said the proposal was "inappropriate development in a special wild place".

The bid to transform the Dall Estate, once home to the Rannoch boarding school, is being spearheaded by Malcolm James, a reclusive property developer who lives in its baronial mansion, Dall House, with his wife and six children.

According to papers submitted to Perth and Kinross Council, the development would be spread across a 430-hectare site on the southern shore of the loch.

The plans include a luxury hotel with 104 rooms, two 18-hole golf courses and clubhouse, a state-of-the-art health spa, a concert hall, a "body-enhancement clinic" with surgery facilities, a retail arcade and a shore-side restaurant based on the design of an ancient crannog.

The cost of a night's stay in the hotel, centred on Dall House, would start at 6,000, rising to 14,000 per person for the most luxurious rooms on the shores of the loch. A total of 98 houses, each costing 1m, would be built on the estate – 91 in the grounds and seven on the lochside. Half will be for sale and the rest for rent by members of the resort.

Mr James, who bought the estate in 2003 for a reported 1.3m, is understood to be in discussions with a number of the world's leading leisure companies, including corporations based in the Middle East, about backing the scheme.

In the planning papers, it is anticipated the facility would be operated by a resort or hotel management company at the top end of the market. They also say it is likely the operator would become a development partner, taking a major equity stake and sharing a substantial element of the development costs.

John Handley, a partner with Edinburgh consultant the Development Planning Partnership (DPP), the agent for the developer, said the Dall resort would be without equal in Britain.

And he predicted that, despite the recession, there would be no shortage of the world's super-rich queuing up to stake their claim to membership at 2m a time. He told The Scotsman: "It is all relative, but the clientle we are talking about, while the value of their assets may have been reduced and they are not recession-proof, they are billionaires. They are actively spending and purchasing at the moment.

"It is being aimed at the super-rich, as well as celebrities, film stars and famous footballers and the like. We are talking about heads of government and people like that as well."

John Lennon, a world-leading expert on tourism development at the Moffat Centre in Glasgow, is in no doubt about the development's potential, even though the Kinloch Rannoch area receives 30 per cent more annual rainfall than Edinburgh.

Prof Lennon, in a detailed economic evaluation report prepared for the developer, states: "The development will be of such quality and scale that it will make Scotland an aspirational 'must-see' destination in the same way as the Burj al Arab Hotel has impacted on Dubai. Dall House Estate development is unlike anything previously conceived in Scotland. It is vital for our economy at local and national level that it is located here.

"The development is predicated upon targeting the world's highest net worth individuals in an exclusive private club environment that will maintain exclusivity and ensure privacy and security. The minimum liquid asset net worth of individuals will be set at 100m.

"This is a unique concept design and planned execution that truly has little comparable precedent elsewhere in the world. This development seeks to brand its exclusive and private status from the outset and requires a level of membership and yearly subscription simply to gain access."

He said that facilities would exceed those associated with Scotland's existing luxury resort properties, at Gleneagles and Turnberry, and would be comparable only with exclusive resorts and private members' clubs located internationally.

"This is a private members' club that will require levels of service and quality unparalleled in UK hospitality provision. The operating norms for this property, in terms of cost of accommodation and member facilities development, will eclipse resort or hotel operations."

Prof Lennon added: "The Dall House development will appeal to an elite because of its unique setting in an area of outstanding natural heritage. It will appeal because of its remoteness, its exclusivity and its secure setting. It will build membership because of the quality and range of contemporary design envisaged and the focus on only the very highest standards of service.

"To locate something of such quality in the Highlands of Scotland will have an enormous economic and employment impact, but will help to change how the hospitality and service sector is perceived."

The development dwarfs the 1 billion Menie Estate golfing and leisure resort development planned for Aberdeenshire by US tycoon Donald Trump, and the now-abandoned plans to turn historic Taymouth Castle in Perthshire into Scotland's first six-star hotel.

According to a supporting planning statement by DPP, the development will contribute more than 24m to the Scottish economy during the three-year construction period, creating 2,200 jobs during the building phase. About 500 staff would be employed in the resort's first year, rising to 850 after two years.

One of the "iconic" buildings being planned is "The Broch" – a seven-storey structure to be constructed within the loch itself.

It will provide accommodation for two haute cuisine restaurants – one on the upper level and another in an underwater basement zone – and luxury accommodation suites for hotel guests.

The developer is initially seeking only outline planning consent from the local authority, and an application is expected to go before the council before the end of the year.

HIGH NUMBERS

1.3bn

The total cost of the Dall Estate development

luxury houses to be built, each at a cost of 1 million

104

luxury hotel suites at the hotel and lochside "Broch" development

championship-style golf courses to be laid out within the estate

The initial membership fee

500,000

The cost of the annual fees

6,000

The cost per person per night for most suites in the lochside hotel

What the well-heeled clientle can look forward to enjoying

THE hotel serving the resort will be centred on historic Dall House, once the principal seat of the Clan Robertson. The B-listed baronial mansion house was home to Rannoch School until the boarding establishment closed its doors in 2002.

New state-of-the-art extensions, located in wings to the south of Dall House, will increase the number of suites available within the main hotel complex to 94 with nine suites within the castle. The new wings will be built over five levels including sub-terrain areas.

Across the estate a total of 98 houses, each costing 1 million, will be built – 91 within the grounds and seven lochside houses. Approximately half the houses will be for sale.

A "body enhancement clinic" serviced by leading plastic surgeons.

Two championship golf courses with associated club and leisure facilities. The proposed golf courses are to the south of Dall House, on land which is managed by the Forestry Commission and in the ownership of Scottish Ministers.

A performance and concert space, aimed at hosting the world's leading artists, exclusive fashion shows and other events.

A luxury shopping arcade, stocking the world's most exclusive jewellery, watches, clothing and other items, with 30 or more luxury outlets.