Croft plans for Glenshellach

Hebridean Baker Coinneach MacLeod and BBC Alba gardener Peter MacQueen want to develop a bare land croft above the ferry to Kerrera.

 

Their proposals for Croft 2 at Glenshellach, which includes building a long house as a family home, are with Argyll and Bute planners waiting for a decision.

 

People had until July 11 to have a say on the plans with five letters of support outweighing the three objections received.

 

The previous crofter, who most recently used it for keeping sheep, was Anne MacLarty who lived in a flat in Oban until she died last year.

 

In their proposals Peter, whose debut book The Art of Living Off Grid will be released this November, and Coinneach who is working on his third cookbook and learned crofting skills from his father, have included a three-year plan as tenant crofters - their landlord would be MacQueen Self Storage Ltd.

 

The croft has 11.6 acres of pasture land separated by a fenced network of four adjacent fields and 72.4 acres of partially fenced rough grazing on hilly land. There is a dilapidated fank and two interconnected agricultural sheds in a poor state of repair as well as a traditional stone build slate roofed byre and a more modern

 

portal frame shed with corrugated cladding.

 

In their application, Gaelic speakers Peter and Coinneach said: "Our goal is to work and live on the croft at Glenshellach. As our primary home, we will support ourselves with crofting, food tourism as well as our freelance work in television and publishing."

 

Planning permission means they would be able to make a full time move to live in Oban - fixing up existing sheds, a polycrub, growing beds, developing an area of croft woodland by planting more than 1,000 native trees, buying about 20 Blackface sheep and two Highland cows to start with and using the Hebridean Baker brand to develop 'farm to table' events. Crofting tours and other events using Gaelic are included in the pair's big vision.

 

Objections include concerns about the development tapping into a private water supply, impacting wildlife and intruding into an area of beauty which is "one of a few green spaces left" in Oban to get peace and quiet and enjoy the view.

 

But letters of support pointed out right to roam would not be changed with one supporter describing objections as "sour grapes" and saying although the view is beautiful it is not exceptional for the area adding: "Some people need to work and live here. It is not a museum or scenic retirement destination."

 

The Crofting Commission said it would generally support a house being built on a croft when the croft tenant or owner-occupier wishes to live on and cultivate a croft.

 

Caption: Hebridean Baker Coinneach MacLeod along with BBC Alba gardener Peter MacQueen are waiting for planning permission to develop a bare land croft above the ferry to Kerrera.

 

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