Let it TREE! Stella McCartney’s £5million Scottish Highland mansion hit by recent objections from tree consultants
Stella McCartney’s plans for a controversial £5million Highland mansion have been met with fresh opposition from tree experts.
Ms McCartney altered plans for the glass-fronted house in an effort to save natural habitats at secluded Commando Rock in Glenuig.
The amendments came after Highland Council’s forestry team objected to the hideaway on the grounds that Corsican pine trees could be felled and works for a water supply would have an ‘adverse effect’ on existing trees.
New plans submitted in September changed the designs of the house in an effort to avoid damaging tree lines.
An updated ecological survey submitted by the architects said the revised placement of the house on the site ‘largely eliminated any impacts to the trees on site’.
How Ms McCartney’s Highland mansion would look if planning permission is granted
Highland Council’s forestry team also had highlighted concerns over the project’s impact on trees and mature woodland
Dozens of objections have been lodged with Highland Council over the application in the name of the fashion designer’s husband
McCartney, 52, and her husband, Alasdhair Willis, hope to erect a secluded hideaway at Commando Rock in Glenuig
But conservation group Woodland Trust Scotland said the plans have still not met with their approval.
An objection letter said: ‘We have reviewed the revised layout plan and revised Arboricultural Impact Assessment.
‘We note that the proposed layout has been amended so that the development is directly adjacent to, rather than encroaching, the RPAs of trees on site.
‘We also note the statement in the Arboricultural Impact Assessment that ‘this new placement has largely eliminated any impacts to the trees on site.’
‘However, we would advise that the majority of the concerns raised in our original objection have not been addressed by the applicant. For example, there is no assessment of the impact of the proposals on ancient woodland or proposals for mitigation.
‘Please refer to our original letter of objection dated 3rd November 2023 for a detailed discussion of our concerns.
‘In view of the above we wish to maintain our objection in relation to this application. Any development that has potential for adverse ecological impacts on ancient woodland should not be supported by the council, in line with the recently updated NPF4 and the Local Development Plan, unless the applicant is able to demonstrate that loss and deterioration will be avoided.’
Stella McCartney’s plans for a controversial £5million Highland mansion have been met with fresh opposition from tree experts
The application to build a modern property was lodged last year in the name of McCartney’s husband, Alasdhair Willis.
However, the plans sparked fierce criticism from locals and wildlife experts.
McCartney previously hired conservationists in an attempt to prove there were no otters in the surrounding area as part of the planning application.
Revised plans lodged by architects Brown & Brown said the house layout had been “revised” while the position updated to “avoid tree root protection areas (all trees to be retained).”
McCartney has strong connections to Scotland after spending childhood holidays at High Park Farm on Mull of Kintyre, a hideaway that became the inspiration for the 1977 hit that her father wrote with Denny Laine for Wings.
McCartney and Willis married at Mount Stuart House on the Isle of Bute in 2003.
Highland Council will make a decision in due course.
