Alastair Storey has formed plans to revitalise the 11,500-acre Abergeldie Estate by turning it into a visitor hotspot offering self-catering units and “experiential holiday packages”.

Under plans submitted to Aberdeenshire Council, Mr Storey plans to build a main estate house and renovate an existing farmhouse.

The Westbury Street Holdings chief executive said that the main house would be occupied by him and his family while the farmhouse would be used by relatives or visitors.

Further guest accommodation as part of Mr Storey’s wider vision for the estate is expected to follow.

In planning documents, the papers lodged by Storey’s architects emphasize the scenic nature of the site.

They said: “‘It was with remarkable timing that a special edition of Country Life magazine edited by our new Queen Consort included a special feature on the view from Bovaglie, with her describing it as her favourite view in the world.

“With such a special place in her heart, and indeed of our client’s heart, we knew this had to be a design which was entirely appropriate.”

Estate agents Savills have written to Aberdeenshire Council on Mr Storey’s behalf to “address comments” made by local objectors.

And they remind planners that “taste in architectural design is subjective”.

Savills planning consultant Hannah Belford dismissed concerns about the size and style of the proposed home at the “exceptionally wild location”.

She wrote: “It is recognised that Deeside has an abundance of very large estate houses. It is not, by comparison, a large property relative to the size of estate it is to serve.”

According to Mr Storey’s own team, the rest of his regeneration plans could be left in tatters should he not have somewhere suitable to live.

And the fresh plea stresses that the design team approached the proposal with the “utmost respect”, by “consulting with craftsmanship experts to ensure the design was sensitive and appropriate”.

Ms Belford adds: “There is no suggestion of a domesticated area extending beyond the front walls as they look towards Lochnagar.

“This latter point was vital for the applicant – that the wild landscape, the indigenous trees and the ruins and walls that are scattered across the site are kept in their current, beautiful and haunting state.”