NH8193 The long sweep of the sand from Embo to Loch Fleet

Coul Links is an area of

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

(referred to as "links" in the Scots language) in

Sutherland Sutherland () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. The name dates from the Scandinavian Scotland, Viking era when t ...

, on the east coast of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It is located between

Golspie Golspie ( , ) is a village and parish in Sutherland, Scottish Highlands, Highland, Scotland, which lies on the North Sea coast in the shadow of Ben Bhraggie. It has a population of around 1,350. History The name derives from the Old Norse, ...

and

Dornoch Dornoch (; ; ) is a town, seaside resort, parish and former royal burgh in the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray Firth to the east. ...

, lying just to the north of the small village of Embo. The links are considered unusual within Scotland in displaying a complete transition from the foredune to dune system and coastal

heathland A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

. They also include habitats such as flooded slacks (troughs between dunes) and seasonal lochs. The links lie on the eastern side of Loch Fleet, and form part of the Loch Fleet

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

(SSSI), the Dornoch Firth and Loch Fleet

Special Protection Area A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...

(SPA), and the Dornoch Firth and Loch Fleet Ramsar site, but are outwith the Loch Fleet national nature reserve (NNR). Between 1985 and 2010 the

Scottish Wildlife Trust The Scottish Wildlife Trust () is a registered charity dedicated to conserving the wildlife and natural environment of Scotland. Description The Scottish Wildlife Trust has well over 46,000 members. The Scottish Wildlife Trust acquired its fi ...

(SWT) managed Coul Links under an agreement with the landowner, however the agreement was not renewed when it expired. The SWT continues to be involved in the management of the adjacent Loch Fleet NNR. A wide variety of plants are found on the links, including variegated horsetail, purple milk-vetch, rue-leaved saxifrage,

moonwort ''Botrychium'' is a genus of ferns, seedless vascular plants in the family Ophioglossaceae. ''Botrychium'' species are known as moonworts. They are small, with fleshy roots, and reproduce by spores shed into the air. One part of the leaf, the t ...

and

frog orchid ''Dactylorhiza viridis'', the frog orchid, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae. It has also been treated as the only species ''Coeloglossum viride'' of the monotypic genus ''Coeloglossum''. Description The plant ari ...

. The heathland parts of the links host areas of

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...

scrub. The site is important for Fonseca's seed fly ('' Botanophila fonsecai''), as it represents over 30% of the known global range of the species, which is endemic to the sand dunes of the east coast of Scotland. The links also host several other nationally rare species of invertebrate. Dog walkers, horse riding and unauthorised vehicle use at the links have been known to disturb terns, which occasionally attempt to nest on Coul Links.

Golf course proposals

In 2015 a company led by American Todd Warnock proposed to build a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

on the links, which would have involved disturbing about 13 ha of dune habitat at Coul Links. Objections to the golf course were submitted by the

Scottish Natural Heritage NatureScot () is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for Scotland’s natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government on nature conservati ...

, RSPB Scotland, Plantlife Scotland, Ramblers Scotland, the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland () is a Scottish Building preservation and conservation trusts in the UK, conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organisation in Scotland and describes itself as "the charity that cares for, sha ...

and the International Otter Survival Fund. The objectors claimed that creation of a golf course would fundamentally affect the natural processes which have created the links, ending the natural movement of material that was a key part of the dune system, and would adversely affect the unique and protected flora and fauna of the site, as well as failing to fulfil legal obligations in respect of international conservation designations such as the Ramsar listing. The developers claimed that a golf course would improve conditions for birdlife on the links, as shooting of wildfowl would no longer be permitted, and that disturbance from visitors would reduce, especially during winter months when the course was closed. They noted that site received no specific habitat management, and claimed that this would be undertaken as a legally binding planning condition if permission were to be granted. The developers also proposed to purchase adjacent land and manage this for conservation purposes, and forecasted potential economic benefits such as increased employment and more tourism in the local area. Objectors questioned the economic case, noting that the controversial Menie golf development at

Balmedie Balmedie () is a large village in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It lies north of the city of Aberdeen, in the civil parish of Belhelvie. The long and wide beach is bordered by an extensive dune system that stretches from Aberdeen to just north o ...

(which was undertaken by

The Trump Organization The Trump Organization, Inc. is an American Conglomerate (company), conglomerate. Privately owned by Donald Trump, it serves as the holding company for most of Business career of Donald Trump, Trump's business ventures and investments, with ar ...

, and has been compared to the Coul Links situation) failed to create the number of jobs or economic benefits predicted.

Highland Council The Highland Council (' ) is the local authority for Highland, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. The council is based at the Highland Council Headquarters in Inverness. History The Highland area had been created as an administrative a ...

approved the plan on 20 June 2018, however in August the

Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...

decided to "call in" the decision for further scrutiny at a national level. On 26 February 2019 the government decided that the matter would be decided by a planning inquiry, and the government's Planning and Architecture Division formally refused permission for the development in February 2020.

References

External links

Not Coul
- group opposed to the golf course development
Coul Links
- website supporting the development {{coord, 57.925, -4.009, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Special Protection Areas in Scotland Ramsar sites in Scotland Sites of Special Scientific Interest in South East Sutherland Protected areas of Highland (council area) Dunes of Scotland