Fashion designer Stella McCartney looks set for a significant victory after planning officials recommended approval for her £5million luxury Highland mansion proposal. The 54-year-old and her husband Alasdhair Willis are seeking permission to construct a secluded property at Commando Rock in Glenuig on the Moidart peninsula.
Despite dozens of objections being submitted to Highland Council regarding the application, which is in her husband’s name, officials have now backed the scheme, with councillors due to make a final decision next week. . A council document stated: “The impact on trees has been satisfactorily addressed through the amended siting, which means that none of the group of pines on the rock are now directly affected by the development.
“Conditions are recommended to deal with their protection, together with the potential impact on them of the drainage infrastructure. Conditions are also recommended to secure further details of the finish materials for the building, the driveway, the borehole and to ensure public access is maintained to the beach, as well as to ensure appropriate mitigations are undertaken during construction for the protected species and to ensure appropriate biodiversity net gain is included as part of the development.
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“A licence from NatureScot will be separately required for the construction works due to its proximity to and potential impact on a European Protected species (otters). All relevant matters have been taken into account when appraising this application.
“It is considered that the proposal accords with the principles and policies contained within the development plan and is acceptable in terms of all other applicable material considerations.” The plans have drawn numerous objections from local residents and environmental specialists.
An otter survey commissioned by the couple and submitted to officials confirmed the presence of holts in the vicinity of the site. Dr Leon Durbin, an otter specialist, has stated that a 650ft exclusion zone must be implemented to prevent harm to the animals.
Otters are a protected species and damaging a holt constitutes an offence.
A licence will be required from official body NatureScot before any work can begin.
Mr Willis had previously confirmed the otter report had been completed.
He added: “The ecologist went through all the appropriate measures, setting up cameras and monitoring activity.
“We’re not denying there is wildlife activity.
“But we’ve come back with a clear mitigation plan to minimise any environmental impact, not just for otters but all wildlife.”
A spokesperson for the couple said: “We are delighted with the recommendation by Highland Council planning officers that the application be granted, subject to conditions, and with the robust nature of the committee report.
“The conclusion of the report notes that ‘it is considered that the proposal accords with the principles and policies contained within the development plan and is acceptable in terms of all other applicable material considerations.’
“The applicants have sought to deliver a highly sustainable home that has been sympathetically designed and sits comfortably within the wider area, as supported by officers.
“What has been frequently overlooked is that the principle of development on this site has already been established, with planning permission for a dwelling dating from 2000 through a previous owner.
“This consented scheme is more environmentally impactful than that proposed in the current planning application and does not reflect the sensitivities of the environment.
“The proposed house has been sympathetically designed, using natural Scottish stone with a turfed roof, and will be secluded and barely visible due to the site’s contours, including views from the water. This has been designed to blend into the landscape to a greater extent than the house under the existing permission.
“Unlike many of the homes in the area, this is not a holiday home; it is a house that the applicant’s family will live in, their forever home.
“This highly sustainable home will be almost completely hidden from public view, delivering a dwelling that is considerably better than the existing permission, and the applicant looks forward, should the application be granted, to making it their new home and contributing to the local community.”
Ms McCartney has deep ties to Scotland, having spent childhood holidays at High Park Farm on the Mull of Kintyre, a retreat that inspired the 1977 hit her father penned with Denny Laine for Wings.
She wed at Mount Stuart House on the Isle of Bute in 2003. Councillors are set to make their decision on April 1.