THE new owners of the Kilmahew estate, which includes the abandoned former St Peter’s seminary in Cardross, have unveiled ambitious plans to achieve UNESCO World Heritage status for the site by 2030.

Husband and wife team Stuart and Ally Cotton are CEO and chair, respectively, of the Kilmahew Education Trust (KET), which struck a deal with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Glasgow last summer for the transfer of legal ownership of the site.

The Covid-19 pandemic has delayed the pair’s progress so far but this week they revealed more detail on their proposals to restore the area to its former glory.

Ally, a historian and ex-teacher, and Stuart, a former taxman with HMRC who has also led investigations into fraud, organised crime and terrorism financing, believe the most practical model for the project is one which amalgamates education with enterprise - and has a scope which extends beyond the derelict centrepiece building.

Stuart told the Reporter: “The seminary was a primary attraction to us but not the focal point of our vision.

“We feel that the previous efforts have focussed almost entirely on this building and the vast costs of bringing it back to life, at the expense of the other buildings - which are equally as important but far easier to restore and repurpose on a commercial footing.

“So we plan to fix most of the other elements of the estate before tackling the behemoth of the seminary.

“It is a chance to take an iconic building that was designed for educational purposes and to restore it to its original use.

“This is the first chance there has been to put an educator back at the helm and to use the whole of the estate’s legacy as a proper seat of life long learning.”

The Cottons say they have identified “a vast array of tangible and intangible assets connected with the estate which other interested parties over many years seemed to have completely overlooked”.

Included in their plans is the repurposing of the former seminary building for use as a hub for specialists in the animation industry, as well as offering the wider 140-acre estate up as a filming location for major TV and big screen productions and creating a “green transport hub” providing access from Helensburgh and Lomond to Greenock.

But the trust’s priority is for the estate to join the likes of New Lanark, the Forth Bridge and Edinburgh’s old and new towns in becoming just the sixth World Heritage Site in Scotland.

As part of that plan Stuart and Ally anticipate the Kilmahew estate generating an annual turnover of £12.5 million within 10 years, with around 375,000 visitors per annum.

They point to two sites - the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London, and Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire - which they say provide evidence of viable business models for similar projects.

The couple said: “It could be argued that the St Peter’s seminary complex of buildings represent a masterpiece of human creative genius in their own right.

“They compare well to other UNESCO sites connected with Le Corbusier and won Jack Coia, the architect, his MBE and RIBA Gold Medal.

“If we can replace the void created by the demolition of Kilmahew House with something equally as stunning, creative and provocative, as well as delivering a thoughtful restoration of the seminary which breathes new life into it, then we should satisfy this criteria.”

The Cottons also point to the fact that one of Scotland’s greatest horticulturalists, John Fleming, created the walled garden within the estate, and the role of St Mahew and St Patrick at Carman Hill and Kilmahew in spreading early Christianity, as proof of fulfilling some of the 10 UNESCO World Heritage Site criteria, or “Outstanding Universal Values” (OUVs).

The bold plans have been described by local councillor Richard Trail, who learned of the plans at a presentation to Cardross Community Council, as a “staggeringly ambitious project for two individuals”.

In response, Stuart said: “It is not about rivalling Blenheim Palace and Kew Gardens who have had several centuries to perfect their public offer.

“It is more about analysing successful financial models that are based on heritage assets to provide us with an all important viability both in terms of the commercial aspects but also having a viability and value to our communities and stakeholders alike.

“The written history, narratives and cultures associated with this area go back thousands of years and create huge opportunities for us to educate the public on our ‘Outstanding Universal Values’.

“Even if we fail to achieve that in the long run, the model is viable and we are committed to it.”