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

Oystercatchers at the mouth of Loch Fleet - geograph

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, fl ...

(referred to as "links" in the

Scots language Scots ( endonym: ''Scots''; gd, Albais, ) is an Anglic language variety in the West Germanic language family, spoken in Scotland and parts of Ulster in the north of Ireland (where the local dialect is known as Ulster Scots). Most commonly ...

) in

Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire (later ...

, on the east coast of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It is located between

Golspie Golspie ( , gd, Goillspidh) is a village and parish in Sutherland, 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 Norse for "gull ...

and

Dornoch Dornoch (; gd, Dòrnach ; sco, Dornach) 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 ...

, lying just to the north of the small village of

Embo Embo ( gd, Eurabol, IPA: �iaɾəpɔɫ̪ is a village in the Highland Council Area in Scotland and the former postal county of Sutherland, about north-northeast of Dornoch. On 16 July 1988, Embo declared itself independent from the rest of the ...

. The links are considered unusual within Scotland in displaying a complete transition from the

foredune A foredune is a dune ridge that runs parallel to the shore of an ocean, lake, bay, or estuary. Foredunes consist of sand deposited by wind on a vegetated part of the shore. Foredunes can be classified generally as ''incipient'' or ''established'' ...

to dune system and coastal

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

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

Loch Fleet Loch Fleet ( gd, Loch Fleòid) is a sea loch on the east coast of Scotland, located between Golspie and Dornoch. It forms the estuary of the River Fleet, a small spate river that rises in the hills east of Lairg. The loch was designated a Nationa ...

, 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 of ...

(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 cert ...

(SPA), and the Dornoch Firth and Loch Fleet

Ramsar Ramsar may refer to: * Places so named: ** Ramsar, Mazandaran, city in Iran ** Ramsar, Rajasthan, village in India * Eponyms of the Iranian city: ** Ramsar Convention concerning wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran ** Ramsar site, wetland listed in a ...

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 Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, registered charity dedicated to conserving the Natural history of Scotland, wildlife and natural environment of Scotland. Description The Scottish Wildlife Trust has well ...

(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 Purple milkvetch or purple milk-vetch is a common name for several plants and may refer to: *''Astragalus agrestis'', native to North America *''Astragalus danicus ''Astragalus danicus'', known as purple milk-vetch, is a species of flowering pl ...

, 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 tr ...

and

frog orchid ''Coeloglossum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the orchid family Orchidaceae. It has long been considered to have only one species, ''Coeloglossum viride'', the frog orchid. Some recent classifications regard ''Coeloglossum'' as part of the ...

. 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, from the Arcti ...

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 tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

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 ( gd, NàdarAlba), which was formerly known as Scottish Natural Heritage, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for the country's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and ...

, RSPB Scotland, Plantlife Scotland, Ramblers Scotland, the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland ( gd, Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba), is a Scottish conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organ ...

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

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 ( gd, Baile Mheadhain) 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 Aber ...

(which was undertaken by

The Trump Organization The Trump Organization is a group of about 500 business entities of which Donald Trump is the sole or principal owner. Around 250 of these entities use the Trump name. The organization was founded in 1927 by Donald Trump's paternal grandmother ...

, 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 (' ), the political body covering the Highland local authority created in 1995, comprises 21 wards, each electing three or four councillors by the single transferable vote system, which creates a form of proportional represe ...

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