They are the seemingly controversial home plans that have prompted objections from across the UK.
And the celebrity status of the applicant’s wife – celebrated fashion designer Stella McCartney – has drawn eyes from all over.
Objectors – many from outwith the local area – have made claims it will be a “holiday getaway” and could damage the landscape, or even made unsavoury “white settler jibes”.
But the owner of Commando Rock on the Moidart Peninsula, Alasdhair Willis wants everyone to know he is building a forever family home.
And he hopes he can persuade people to let the couple make a new life in the area they clearly adore.
Commando Rock sits on the west coast at Roshven, between Lochailort and Glenuig.
It was named in recognition of the commando training that once took place within the dramatic landscape – and is also strikingly known as the “Crag of the Sparrow Hawk”.
Mr Willis, who spoke exclusively with The Press and Journal, addressed some of the concerns raised about their plans for a large and modern four-bedroom home at Commando Rock.
He is not someone who is easy with speaking about private matters with the press, but he wanted to set the record straight.
While some might have walked away in the face of opposition, for them it is a place and a community in which they feel at home.
Despite what some have described as a battle for Mr Willis and wife Stella McCartney, it appears to be more of a peaceful right to live in an area that feels like home.
When most people would have given up and walked away long ago, he describes this location and this community as the place where he wants to build a family home.
Strong links to Scotland
While Mr Willis and Ms McCartney are internationally known, they both have strong connections to Scotland.
The Gaelic spelling of Mr Willis’s name comes from great-grandparents who grew up speaking the language in Scotland and Ms McCartney spent much of her childhood in the Mull of Kintyre, on the family farm.
They were married on the Isle of Bute in August 2003.
It seems strange to be discussing where a couple got married when talking about a planning application.
But the backlash to the application, including anti-English and “white settler” comments, has been fierce and often personal.
Mr Willis told us: “We love the area and we feel our home is here.
“This is the home we want for this stage in our lives, and this is where we want to be.”
Mr Willis and Ms McCartney want to live at Roshven
The Press and Journal met with Mr Willis at Commando Rock, where he shared his love of the area, the bruising nature of the application process and his determination that any material objections will be addressed.
What was very clear from our interview is that Mr Willis and Ms McCartney want to live at Roshven.
And despite the many “untruths” that have been aired about their intentions, he reaffirmed the couple’s commitment to live full-time in the area.
He said: “This is where we want to be. It is not a case of waking up one day and thinking this was what we wanted on a whim.
“This has been our life plan.
“When we found Commando Rock, we fell in love.
“We are fortunate to have been able to buy this land and to be able to come and live here.
“It is the most incredible place.”
He said: “Changing the style of house is purely to allow the house to sit within the surrounding environment.
“We want a house that is in tune with the landscape, not working against it.
“And yes, we want a house we can be proud of.
“But if it does come to it, and our application is not permitted, then we will build the house the permission exists for.
“We want to live here and be part of the community.
“We love this place and our commitment to living here has never wavered.”
He added: “We have the greatest respect for the planners who are dealing sensitively with every concern raised with due diligence to protect this incredible landscape,” he said.
“We want to work with them to find solutions for the concerns that people have raised.”
What’s the recent history of the land?
The land was put on sale with planning permission already in place for a two-turreted building in July 2021, with a guide price of £450,000.
In fact the foundations for that house and the access road for that planning application were laid more than two decades ago.
Mr Willis, however, lodged new plans in February 2023, for a building with a slightly larger footprint – but one he says will be more in keeping with the landscape.
Importantly, it would not sit above the hill line, as the original house would.
What are the planning concerns?
Planning documents lodged with the application show that there have been 68 comments.
Those are made up of 65 public comments, and three from consultees.
They come from across the UK, from Cleethorpes and Chipping Norton in England, to Ballymena in Northern Ireland, together with Inverness and Spean Bridge.
Of the 68 comments, only three have been supportive of the application.
Below, we took a look at the comments made by people in the vicinity.
Style of house
Some objectors have said the size and style of the house is not in keeping with the largely traditional architecture of the Lochailort area.
There are also concerns it appears the new plans show the property much further forward than the original planning, resulting in greater visibility from the bay.
Mr Willis believes the house he is proposing has a stronger link to the environment it is being built in and that far from being a “concrete monstrosity” will be turfed and largely hidden in the landscape.
Otters
Concerns have been raised about otters and their activity in the area.
Mr Willis says he will work with Highland Council to address any concerns and an independent otter impact survey is currently being undertaken.
Virgin land
One objector wrote that Commando Rock was a “genuine survivor vicinity untouched by the hand of man. Irreplaceable once gone or altered”.
However, an access road and neighbouring land is already used by at least a dozen homes in the area.
The specific area of land also has the foundations laid for a large four-bedroomed two-storey house with two turrets at the top of the hill, and there are other areas where the land has been cut out – for a garage.
It will be “a holiday home”
Mr Willis and his wife plan to live at Commando Rock, with their children.
Environmental impact
Mr Willis argues that the house will sit within the environment and its roof will be covered in seeds and turf.
He says they don’t want it to be a grand mansion. Instead they want a house that blends with the landscape.
Secret beach
Mr Willis confirmed that there will be no limits to people who access the beach by a path that is already in place. There was never any plan to stop access.
Removal of trees
The trees on the land near to the house are Corisican Pines, not Scots Pine.
Mr Willis says he has no plans to remove Corsican Pines that are already on the land.
He initially said he would remove them as they are a non- native species.
However, the trees are being retained as the council’s tree officer objected to their removal, and the scheme was revised to allow their retention.
Water supply
Mr Willis plans to have his own water supply from a nearby source.
But it should be noted that the plans for the original house do allow for taking the supply from the original source that feeds nearby homes.
We would like to hear from you, let me know what you think by emailing louise.glen@pressandjournal.co.uk.
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