Clan Donald Lands Trust are trying to sell Armadale Castle.
Scotland’s charity regulator has announced it has closed an inquiry into a charity’s sale of an island castle.
The Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) has confirmed that its investigation into the proposed sale of Armadale Castle by the trustees of the Clan Donald Lands Trust (CDLT).
The 20,000-acre estate has been put up for sale and is estimated to be valued at £7million.
In a statement, OSCR said: “Having considered the information provided, OSCR has established no grounds to intervene in the decision of the charity trustees to sell its landholdings including the Sleat Estate and Armadale property assets. OSCR will not be intervening in the sale. The charity’s trustees have acted within their powers and taken legal and financial advice prior to placing the charity’s landholdings up for sale.
“Charity trustees are the persons who have the general control and management of the administration of a charity. They are ultimately responsible for the management of the charity and as such they must make decisions and take certain actions. Whether others agree with their choices or not, OSCR cannot take action where the charity trustees have made decisions or taken actions that are within the powers set out in the charity’s governing document and have acted in accordance with their legal duties as charity trustees.
“OSCR has now concluded and closed its inquiries into the charity.”
An investigation was started after a number of concerns were raised about the proposed sale locally.
A joint statement by Sleat Community Council and Sleat Community said the lack of consultation and community engagement has been frustrating, and that they want this to change with new ownership.
Donaidh MacDonald, Chair of Sleat Community Trust, said: “We want to see Armadale run again as a successful enterprise, bringing jobs and associated business to our communities. We want it to be recognised as a place of significant historical value, as well-managed land where people respect, value and celebrate the natural beauty and heritage of the area.”
CDLT has previously said it intends to transition to being a grantmaking body based somewhere in the Scottish Highlands.
The charity trustees wrote in a statement that there was an “urgent need to realign the trust’s resources with its core charitable objectives and to secure a sustainable future for our mission”. They added: “For many years, the trust has been open about the significant financial challenges facing our charity.
“The Armadale visitor centre has never been financially self-sustaining year-round, and its continued operation has relied on long-term dependence on a single major grant funder.”
