The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) has confirmed it is investigating property transactions by Havisham Properties, a company owned by Tory peer Lord Brownlow, relating to the Knockroon development in Ayrshire. The homes were originally part of an eco-village project spearheaded by Prince Charles, now King Charles III, on land adjacent to Dumfries House.
Havisham Properties purchased 11 properties on the Knockroon estate between 2012 and 2017 for £1.7 million. The development was intended to create an eco-village that would bring jobs and revitalise the former mining community, but only 31 of the planned 770 homes were built due to a lack of demand. Tenants now face eviction as the homes are sold off.
The investigation follows allegations that Prince Charles ennobled Lord Brownlow after accepting millions of pounds in donations. Lord Brownlow, appointed a trustee of the Prince's Foundation in 2013, helped bail out the failing project. He was made a Commander of the Victorian Order (CVO) in 2018 after stepping down as trustee, a honour the Prince's Foundation said recognised his role as chair of the charity.
Lord Brownlow also came to prominence for funding the controversial refurbishment of Boris Johnson's Downing Street flat. The Prince's Foundation has faced further scrutiny over reports that Prince Charles personally received €3 million in cash from a Qatari sheikh, handed over in a suitcase and carrier bags. The Prince of Wales has since said he will no longer accept large cash donations for his charities.
