STAGECOACH tycoon Ann Gloag has won a battle to build a new house on land near her castle.
Last year Mrs Gloag, one of Scotland's richest women, obtained permission for a six-bedroomed mansion and a three-bedroomed house in the grounds of her property, Kinfauns Castle in Perth.
She was initially refused permission to build the latest property after objections were raised by locals and the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland (AHSS).
Perth and Kinross council ruled the site, which overlooks the River Tay, was of great landscape value and could not be built on.
The Scottish Government overturned the decision but planning permission expired, meaning Mrs Gloag, 70, had to again ask the council to approve her plans.
The local authority has now given the scheme the green light despite it being contrary to its local development plan.
In a report, a planning official said: "This site is well contained by housing on its east and west sides.
"Clearly the design and scale of the house will be a key con-sideration. However, this can be considered at the detailed planning stage. A suitably designed dwelling would have little adverse impact on the landscape character of the area of great landscape value (AGLV), nor would development of this site result in a significant adverse visual impact.
"I fully appreciate the council have refused planning applications within the AGLV over the years, and have been extremely successful in defending related appeals. However, the majority of these have been on isolated sites with a lack of landscape framework. I share the Scottish Government Reporter's contention the site is not prominent."
Mrs Gloag's property agents Ristol said the house would be a high-quality design respecting the existing character of the area.
The AHSS had previously expressed fears the house would set a dangerous precedent and pave the way for more developments in the area.
The two homes Mrs Gloag applied to build last year also attracted criticism.
Foresty Commission Scotland warned the buildings would ruin an area of ancient woodland and neighbours claimed they would spoil the privacy and seclusion they currently enjoy, and reduce property values in the area.
Mrs Gloag, who has an estimated £650 million fortune with her brother Sir Brian Souter, won the right to restrict access to her property in 2007.
The case, the first of its kind, allows her to keep the public out of 10 acres of grounds.
Although she remains a non-executive director of the transport empire she built with her brother, Mrs Gloag now devotes much of her time to humanitarian causes.
In the 2004 New Year's Honours, she was given an OBE for her charity work. In 2011, she became the first Scot to be honoured with the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, whose previous honorees include US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Queen Noor of Jordan.
A spokeswoman for Mrs Gloag said she did not wish to comment on her house plans.
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