THE Laird at the centre of a village property row last night hit back at his critics, flatly denying any suggestions he had exploited local residents and insisting he had only tried to do good for the community.
Dean Anderson, 60, was attacked by those who claimed they had to pay extortionate fees for small parcels of land on his Hopeman estate in Morayshire.
Last week residents claimed Anderson had charged thousands of pounds for a small parcel of garde
n land, and one pensioner said she was asked by the millionaire farmer for a £25,000 ground lease payment.
But Anderson last night dismissed their claims, saying: "I’m no ogre and I’ve always tried to do my best for Hopeman."
Last week Anna Jack, 68, said she was forced to borrow cash from her family to secure the ground lease on her cottage or face being homeless.
But Anderson said he was approached by Jack’s family to sell the land that the cottage is built on so they could secure the property for her.
"This is a family dispute that I have been dragged into," he said. "And following the claims in last week’s paper I have withdrawn from the deal. It does not bother me, I don’t need the money.
"As far as I’m concerned, Ms Jack can stay there until she dies, then the ground lease situation will have to be looked at again."
Jack’s son-in-law, Neil Macpherson, said: "She felt it was wrong we had to pay so much for the land, but we were happy to do it just to secure the place.
"We could not afford the whole plot, which meant the garden would have been sold off separately by Mr Anderson.
"But that was OK by us, and we have always found him straightforward in our dealings with him."
Anderson, who owns one of Scotland’s largest dairy operations, said from his home at Mayne Farm in Elgin that he was astounded at his Hopeman critics.
"I bought the estate for the three 100-acre farms it included," he said. "I am a country boy brought up to farm, and I’m not interested in being Feudal Superior of the village.
"I will welcome any new land reform laws that will free me from this task. It will save me a lot of hassle, time and expense. I’m not trying to capitalise on any new laws."
Anderson admitted that he had transferred a 2ft-wide strip of land to a Hopeman resident. But, he explained, the fee he paid was for the large plot of garden land - big enough for two houses - with the strip thrown in.
Another new homeowner, Adrian Dunn, complained last week that Anderson had charged him £10,000 for a small piece of garden land that he thought was part of the property anyway.
But according to title deeds held by Anderson, the cash paid for an entire access lane as well.
"I do not understand why people feel the way they do about me," he said. "It is unbelievable what was said.
"I’ve always felt I have given good service to Hopeman and deal with the villagers openly and frankly."
