Stella McCartney given permission to build 'forever home' overlooking Highland loch
The ‘starkly modern’ home will sit in a secluded location overlooking Loch Ailort
Fashion designer Stella McCartney and her husband Alasdhair Willis have been given permission to build their “forever home” overlooking a Highland loch.
The proposals for a “starkly modern” house at the secluded site on Commando Rock at Loch Ailort, a sea loch west of Fort William, received more than 65 objections against the property's size, design and impacts on the landscape and wildlife.
Plans were approved after designs were revised given concerns about the scale and impact of the contemporary building on surrounding fir trees and the broader surrounds.
A spokesperson for the couple said they had sought to deliver a "highly sustainable home that has been sympathetically designed".
They said the property would use natural Scottish stone and have a turfed roof.
The spokesperson added: "It will be secluded and barely visible due to the site's contours, including views from the water.
"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."
Planners at Highland Council said the revised design would “sit more comfortably in the landscape and better respect the existing landform”.
A report to councillors on the South Area Planning Committee said: “The design is starkly modern, however, it is a very secluded, contained site that will not be conspicuous from any neighbouring properties or from any public vantage points.”
It added: “The development, as amended, would sit better on the rock, amongst dense vegetation, woodland, and areas of exposed bedrock. It would not be prominent in the landscape, and it will hardly be visible from any public viewpoints, except fromRoshven Bay and from the sea, where it will be viewed in the context of other houses nearby which are also close to the shore.”
The report said a “significant number” of new houses had been built in Roshven since the estate was broken up around 25 years ago and some were “more compatible with the landscape character and capacity than others”.
It added: “The proposed development would not result in a significant adverse cumulative landscape or visual impact with other new houses in the area, due to its secluded situation.”
A spokesperson for the couple said the stone walls and turfed roof would make it barely visible, and that the energy efficient house, powered by renewables, would be used as a "family, forever home".
Councillors approved the plans on Wednesday, subject to a number of conditions.
They included measures to mitigate the impact of external lighting on the landscape due to the site's elevated position.
There was also a requirement that sewage and surface water drainage be handled away from the site's cliff edge.
A licence is also required from Scotland's nature body, NatureScot, due to the presence of otters in the area.
Fort William and Ardnamurchan Green Party councillor Kate Willis asked that "strong" conditions be placed on the project, although her request for a decision on the application to be deferred for a site visit was not supported by other councillors.
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