Stella McCartney, 52, may be the darling of the fashion world, but her would-be neighbours in the Scottish Highlands are putting up a fight against her plan for a £5MILLION modernist mansion
Stella McCartney, 52, may be the darling of the fashion world, but her would-be neighbors in the Scottish Highlands are fighting her plan for a £5MILLION modernist mansion
- Fashion designer has angered local residents by applying to build a house with a glass front
Her couture collections may have made her the darling of the fashion world. But Stella McCartney’s designs for a £5m modernist home in the remote Highlands of Scotland were less well received.
Because the 52-year-old has applied to build a massive glass-fronted house in one of the wildest parts of Britain – to the fury of locals who have condemned it as a ‘carbuncle’.
Although the designer – who is the daughter of vegetarian pioneer Linda McCartney and her Beatles legend husband Sir Paul – is a lifelong advocate of animal welfare, objectors claim her plans will disturb wildlife, including nearby families of otters.
They also claim that the ‘monstrous’ house can see the pine trees being felled and walkers blocked from the beach.
Stella McCartney’s designs for a £5 million modernist house have angered local residents. Pictured Alasdhair Willis (left) and Stella McCartney attend the launch of the Stella McCartney Global flagship store on Old Bond Street
The couple submitted plans to the Highland Council, including a design statement from architects Brown & Brown. In the photo, designs for the modernist building
McCartney and her husband Alasdhair Willis bought a plot of land on the coast of the West Highlands about 150 miles north-west of Glasgow.
The couple submitted plans to the Highland Council, including a design statement from architects Brown & Brown which states that a ‘simple material palette’ will be used ‘with a contemporary and complementary mix of rough-cut natural Scottish stone’ as well as concrete and weathering steel.
The architects also note: ‘The applicant wants to create a house here that is site-specific, with the environment, existing contours, aspect and sun path being one of the key generators of the design.
‘Privacy is of great importance to the applicant, which was a main reason they acquired the premises.
‘The secluded nature of the site will be preserved, with the house largely unseen outside the site, and mainly only visible from the water.’
However, more than 50 objections were submitted. One is from Highland councilor Angus MacDonald, who lives nearby and believes the couple’s new home will be out of place.
He said: ‘We will welcome those who live in the area but will hope that they can come up with a building proposal that is more sympathetic to its location.’
One resident, who did not want to be named, said: ‘It is believed in the area that the build will cost around £5m. Stella McCartney, who makes a big deal out of being green, plans to build a house that is steel and concrete.
Highland Council confirmed the plans were still being considered. Designs for the interior of the building
More than 50 objections were lodged, including one from Highland councilor Angus MacDonald. In the photo the piece of land on which the house is proposed to be built
“Everyone in the area was expecting something eco, maybe with, say, a turf roof, so everyone was quite surprised it wasn’t what was proposed.”
Documents submitted to Highland Council reveal a range of complaints about the plans. Celia Woodhouse says it would be ‘disastrous’ if the ‘monstrous house’ is built.
Patrick MacDonald believes the house will be a ‘disadvantage’ to the area, saying: ‘The fact that there is a woodland of mature pine trees and indeed otters on the site should be all the more reason for it to be protected .’
Lady Marie-Sophie Law de Lauriston adds: ‘Non-reflective glass would be more appropriate to reduce the visual impact of the building in the evening sun.
‘Access to the beach on the east side of the proposed property must be guaranteed, given the constant visitors to the beach.
“There is an otter den on the knoll where the proposed house will be, and the impact on local wildlife needs to be considered.”
Another objector says the ‘new modern dwelling will spoil the natural beauty of this landscape and become a carbuncle on the bluff’.
Highland Council confirmed the plans were still being considered. McCartney has strong ties to Scotland, having spent much of her childhood with her parents at the farmhouse on the Mull of Kintyre, which inspired Sir Paul’s famous 1977 song.