Stella McCartney permitted to build dream eco home on banks of Scottish loch - despite objections from neighbours
Despite objections from neighbours over wildlife concerns, Stella McCartney has been given permission to build an eco home on the banks of a Scottish loch.
Fashion designer Stella McCartney and husband Alasdhair Willis have been granted planning permission to build their dream eco home on the banks of a Scottish loch - despite dozens of objections from neighbours. The couple applied for permission to develop a clifftop home at Loch Ailort, in the Highlands, which received more than 65 objections from residents, who raised concerns over the property's size, design, and the impact it would have on the landscape and wildlife.
But the celebrity pair said the eco-friendly "family, forever home" had been designed to blend in to the landscape, including stone walls and a turfed roof. Previously, a home had been partially developed on the site, in the Roshven area on a headland called Commando Rock, but was abandoned, leaving some low walls.
McCartney and Willis' proposals overlaps part of the previous development, leaving pine trees in place and using renewable energy for power. Now, councillors have approved the application, meaning Stella - daughter of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney - and her husband, a creative director at sportswear giant Adidas, can get to work.
Highland Council's south planning applications committee approved the plans on Wednesday (April 1), with a number of conditions, including the requirement to mitigate the impact of external lighting on the landscape and that sewage and surface water drainage be handled away from the site's cliff edge. Meanwhile, a licence for the development will also be required from the NatureScot organisation to ensure the protection of otters.
A spokesperson said the couple had sought to deliver a "highly sustainable home that has been sympathetically designed", using natural Scottish stone, with a turfed roof.
"It will be secluded and barely visible due to the site's contours, including views from the water," they added. "Unlike many of the homes in the area, this is not a holiday home; it is a house that the family will live in, our forever home. We look forward to continuing to engage with the local community as we progress our development and when we move into our new home."