To make use of their family land, John and Ann-Marie Mitchell have created a compact, highperformance haven on the coast of the Isle of Harris

WORDS ANAMIKA TALWARIA 

Left: Built on inherited land, the new coastal dwelling is packed with family history, enjoying views out to Taransay

PHOTOS JOHN MAYER

The croft that this seaside haven sits on had been in Ann- Marie Mitchell’s family for generations before she and husband John decided to build on it. The land had once belonged to her grandmother and was passed down to Ann-Marie’s mother before falling into the Mitchells’ hands. “To keep hold of it for longer, Ann-Marie’s mother got outline planning permission for a house on the land,” says John. “The Crofting Commission wants all the crofts to be used in some way. If they lie around derelict, the commission is well within its rights to take it away and give it to somebody who’ll work it.”

Every five years the permission would expire, and Ann-Marie’s mother would reapply, but the croft still sat empty. Since the most recent approval, the fence had fallen into disrepair and sheep from a neighbouring plot would often wander onto the Mitchells’ site. As it wasn’t being used or looked after, they were at risk of losing the croft, so John and Ann-Marie took it on. “We really wanted to hang onto the family land, so we had a meeting with the commission to put the croft in our name and build a house,” he says.

Preliminary stages

Armed with the outline planning permission for a dwelling that Ann-Marie’s mother had secured, the Mitchells started thinking about what their ideal home might look like. They came up with a compact L-shaped design with vaulted ceilings. The couple took their rough sketches to architects Total Design, who drew up the detailed plans. Then, they applied for full planning.