BBC star Kirsty Young's plans to build lodge on 'Wallaby island' in Loch Lomond approved

Plans for Kirsty Young’s very own desert island have been approved

Controversial plans by broadcaster Kirsty Young and her husband for a new lodge on an island in Loch Lomond have been given the green light.

The former Desert Island Discs presenter and her partner, Nick Jones, bought Inchconnachan, an island in the middle of the loch, after it was put on sale for more than £500,000 in 2020.

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Former Desert Island Discs presenter Kirsty Young Former Desert Island Discs presenter Kirsty Young
Former Desert Island Discs presenter Kirsty Young | BBC

The following year, they submitted an application to build a short-stay holiday rental with a new boathouse and jetty.

The plans, which saw objections from residents and environment groups, were approved on Friday by the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA)

The couple previously pledged to transform the island into “a beautiful place for everyone to enjoy” when they submitted the plans with the authority.

The developers also aim to demolish the ruins of a colonial-style timber bungalow built in the 1920s, creating a natural wet woodland on the site.

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The uninhabited Inchconnachan island, which lies in Loch Lomond, was bought by Scottish broadcaster Kirsty Young and her husband after it was put on sale last year for more than £500,000The uninhabited Inchconnachan island, which lies in Loch Lomond, was bought by Scottish broadcaster Kirsty Young and her husband after it was put on sale last year for more than £500,000
The uninhabited Inchconnachan island, which lies in Loch Lomond, was bought by Scottish broadcaster Kirsty Young and her husband after it was put on sale last year for more than £500,000

Conditions to approval include for the lodge to be only for short-term holiday use that does not exceed 90 days in one calendar year and not permanent residential use.

The island is designated as a special area of conservation for western acidic oak woodland and otters and a special protection area (SPA) for capercaillie and Greenland white-fronted geese.

While the 103-acre island is uninhabited, it is home to wallabies. They are not native, but were brought to the island by Lady Arran Colquhoun in the 1940s and have since adapted and established a self-sustaining population, giving the location the nickname “Wallaby Island”.

It's perhaps a lesser-known fact that wallabies live in the wild in Scotland - there's a colony on the Loch Lomond island of Inchconnachan, introduced almost a century ago by former owner Fiona, Countess of Arran.It's perhaps a lesser-known fact that wallabies live in the wild in Scotland - there's a colony on the Loch Lomond island of Inchconnachan, introduced almost a century ago by former owner Fiona, Countess of Arran.
It's perhaps a lesser-known fact that wallabies live in the wild in Scotland - there's a colony on the Loch Lomond island of Inchconnachan, introduced almost a century ago by former owner Fiona, Countess of Arran.

Campaigners wanting to protect the wallabies have criticised the plans, which said development will involve “the removal of invasive/exotic species, the natural regeneration of the site and wet woodland/habitat diversity”.

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A ‘Save the Wallabies of Loch Lomond’ was started and has since gathered more than 100,000 signatures from people protesting against any attempt to remove or cull the animals.

Woodland Trust Scotland also objected to the plans, saying building work would involve cutting down trees. It has been reported under the existing plans that 35 trees will be cut down, including four individually surveyed trees.

Concerns also included visual impact of the development and the potentially harmful effect of carbon emissions during construction on the surrounding wildlife and their habitat.

Woodland Trust Scotland’s George Anderson had previously said: “Ancient woodland is an irreplaceable habitat. Once lost, it is gone forever.

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“If ancient woodland isn’t safe here, then something is far wrong. We call on the planning authority to reject this application.”

A letter from the trust had added: “We acknowledge that the applicants intend to implement an island-wide management plan to improve the condition of the ancient woodland/qualifying features on site, by removing invasive species and exotic conifer species to allow natural regeneration of native woodland flora and trees.

“The trust is generally supportive of sensitive ancient woodland management. However, we are unable to support the proposed scheme on account of the direct loss of ancient woodland to facilitate development, which is not for the purposes of conservation.”

A LLTNPA case officer has said in a decision notice: "The proposed development would result in a small loss of habitat. However, the proposals are considered to have a biodiversity benefit through the naturalisation of the former site and the positive management and habitat enhancement of the island."

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