Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
The village was once home to Europe’s largest aluminum factory and was the first in the world to have every house connected to electricity.
It is a busy tourist destination because it lies on the West Highland Way but has a rapidly declining population (17% between 2003 and 2020) partly due to the closure of the British Alcan factory in 2000.
The restoration of Mamore Lodge, which featured in films including Roy Roy and Braveheart, is set out in the wide-ranging action plan to create a “bright future” for the area.
The lodge, situated on a ledge overlooking Loch Leven, was originally built in 1903 for Captain Frank Bibby, who made his fortune in the Liverpool shipping industry.
The old hunting lodge featured in films including Braveheart Image: Canmore (Image: Archive) The family were great guests and entertained King Edward, Viscount Churchill and Sir Henry Fairfax-Lucy and they had left their names on the doors.
It later became the home of the manager of the aluminum works and was then redeveloped as a hotel, which has been closed for a number of years and the building is now “a boarded-up eyesore overlooking the village”.
“What better place to restore former glories as a hotel, spa or retreat?” identify the plan.
“This would attract more people to stay in the area, greatly improve the offer for visitors, and create new training and employment opportunities for the local community.”
Kinlochleven Community Action Group received funding from the Highlands Council to prepare a community-led plan with legal status. More than 500 ideas were submitted by residents.
Children from the local primary school said they wanted more restaurants and amenities such as soft play, a trampoline park and an animal sanctuary.
Older residents called for improvements in public transport and other public services, reuse of empty shops and buildings, more local jobs.
The plan also calls for the re-opening of the Ice Factor, which boasted the world’s largest indoor ice climbing wall.
Its closure in 2023 marked the “sudden disappearance of the village’s only year-round visitor attraction”.
Housing is described as “prohibitively expensive” housing for young people starting their careers with many properties available being let during the Summer and empty in the winter.
Kinlochleven is not well served by public transport and year-round tourism jobs are “scarce”.
The plan suggests that outdoor adventure, land management, green energy could also be key to its regeneration.
He notes that Kinlochleven “barely existed” before the British Aluminum Company arrived to build the aluminum smelter and Blackwater dam in 1904.
The carefully planned ‘electric village’, one of the earliest to have street lighting and electric houses in the UK, grew rapidly with houses, shops, leisure facilities and churches but conditions were often poor on the older south side the village.
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However, company employment was already falling by the 1950s (almost halving between 1939 and 1973) and the village population increased by around 18% between 1961 and 1966 alone.
Jahama Highland Estates now owns the huge highland estates originally purchased by the British Aluminum Company 120 years ago. They also own the site of the main aluminum works building, which remains undeveloped.
Since the new campus in 2008, the plan states that there has been “very little major investment”.
The now empty Story Aluminum visitor and heritage center “offers a fantastic opportunity to be used as a hub for community arts, crafts, heritage and visitor information”.
A similar local place plan is being developed by the residents of Ynys Ddu.
Planners note that achieving its aims “will require the co-operation and support of the Scottish Government, the Highlands Council, Community Planning Partners and Jahama Highland Estates, who own much of the land.”
Kate Forbes ASA said: “I am looking forward to visiting Kinlochleven again over the coming weeks and hopefully meeting the community council who have been instrumental in putting this significant piece of work together.”
A spokesman for Kinlochleven Community Trust said: “The KCT would like to congratulate the Community Action Group and all the people and organizations involved in the process.”
“We look forward to working with the wider community to develop and implement the Plan over the next few years.”
A spokesman for Jahama Estates, which owns the Mamore Lodge site, said: “We choose not to make any public comment at this time.”
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24626688.former-highland-hunting-lodge-spark-regeneration/?ref=rss
