LOCALS in a small Scottish village have told how they fear the place is becoming a “ghost town” after American billionaires began “taking over” it.
But residents living in the village of Kenmore, in Perthshire, have said they are “fighting back” against the super-rich.
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Kenmore is located on the banks of the River Tay and it has around 100 people living in it.
But an Arizona-based business has recently bought the 1842 Taymouth Castle and its neighbouring land – forcing a local hotel and post office to close its doors for good, according to Sky News.
Investors Discovery Land Company (DLC) is claimed to be one of the world’s most exclusive residential real estate development companies.
And it’s reported that its clients list includes billionaires, CEOs, presidents and celebrities.
DLC has boasted that the area will be transformed into a plush resort for incredibly wealthy people, speaking fears from locals that it’s becoming “hoarded by the elite”.
And after the company bought several homes in the area, residents claim they are trying to create a “playground” for the rich.
In a sales brochure, the plans are set to include “a community including 208 residential units and club suites” that is “30 minutes by helicopter” to other cities in Scotland.
But those who live in the village have begun to “fight back” and have lodged a petition after planning permission was granted by Perth and Kinross Council for the castle restoration project.
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Ingrid Sheilds, from the local protest group, told Sky News: “People have questions about what the future plans are.
“They own the Kenmore hotel; they own practically all these cottages here.
“A lot of the times when you come here it is literally like a ghost town. There is no one here.
“Restaurants are closed down and even the public toilets. Kenmore, as the village as it once was, has really been transformed.”
DLC decline any interviews with Sky News but said all regulations were being followed in the project.
This includes the public’s right to roam on paths surrounding the castle outlined in Scottish legislation.
However, they failed to deny claims that the area will become a gated community.
Bosses at DLC said the project has employed “hundreds of people” who will be “sustained for years to come”.
While the local community council chairman added: “Over the last 20 years there was a 20% drop in residential people living here.
“Since these guys have taken over and bought up all the spare holiday lodges, [the] community is benefiting to the extent that the village is again beginning to grow.”
It is currently unclear when the project will be finished.
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