The plan by fashion designer Stella McCartney to construct a £5 million modernist home in the Scottish Highlands is encountering significant new delays, centred on the protection of local otters. A leading otter conservation charity has demanded that construction must be 'stopped immediately' if otter cubs are discovered and insists on constant monitoring of the animals' dens, known as holts.
Battle at Commando Rock
The proposed site, known as Commando Rock on the Moidart Peninsula, was once a training ground for elite troops during the Second World War. Now, the daughter of Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney finds herself in a different kind of conflict. The famously pro-green activist and her husband, Alasdhair Willis, have faced accusations of hypocrisy and environmental vandalism from dozens of objectors.
More than 60 letters of objection were submitted, warning the development could threaten local wildlife, including otters and pine martens. A long-awaited otter survey, compiled in November, has now been lodged with Highland Council and could potentially clear a major hurdle for the couple's application, which seeks to replace a lapsed permission from 26 years ago.
Charity Issues Stern Warning
In a new submission, Grace Yoxon of the Skye-based International Otter Survival Fund issued a stark warning. She credited ecologist Dr Leon Durbin with providing crucial video evidence of otter activity, stating that without it, the application 'may have been successful' with 'disastrous' consequences for the resident otters.
Yoxon criticised an initial survey commissioned by the applicants as 'totally inadequate' for failing to identify otter holts, runs, and tracks. While welcoming a more comprehensive second survey, she raised serious concerns about the proposed construction timetable.
The couple's agents had agreed to a construction break between May and August to protect a perceived breeding season. However, Yoxon refuted this, stating: 'Eurasian otters do NOT have a breeding season and young are born at any time of the year.' She argued that a three-month gap between survey and work is too long, as a female otter's gestation is about three months, meaning cubs could be present when work starts.
'Any construction must have someone to oversee the holts in case there are young cubs and work must be stopped immediately if this is found to be the case,' Yoxon insisted.
Couple's Vision and Community Response
Ms McCartney and Mr Willis, who married on the Isle of Bute in 2003, say their new design is more environmentally sensitive and less visually intrusive than the original permitted plan. Foundations for a four-bedroom house were laid decades ago. Mr Willis, in whose name the application is made, has strongly disputed claims it would be a holiday home, stating: 'We're building a permanent family home... We want to live here full-time and be part of the community.'
The couple have deep connections to Scotland, citing family roots in Gaelic-speaking regions and childhood memories. Their application includes a required licence from NatureScot, with all works pledging to follow its guidance.
A Highland Council spokesperson indicated the authority hopes to bring the application to committee early this year. The outcome will determine whether the modernist vision for Commando Rock can proceed without threatening the protected otters that have made it their home.
