Land court ruling clears route to take off for Sutherland Space Hub
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Sutherland Space Hub is set to take off following a Scottish Land Court ruling in favour of a change of use of the ground it is to be built on.
The court has approved the change of land use to allow Space Hub Sutherland to be built on Melness Crofters' Estate while remaining working croft land.
The £17.5 million development is earmarked to go on a site at the remote A'Mhoine peninsula.
The ruling follows the results of a judicial review last month which rejected legal challenges to the space port made by environmental and tourism company Wildland Ltd, which is solely owned by Danish entrepreneur Anders Holch Povlsen.
Wildland later announced that it would not be appealing the decision.
Space Hub Sutherland is now on track to be the UK’s first space port. An inaugural space flight could launch as early as next year.
The result is historic news for Melness Crofters’ Estate (MCE), a voluntary committee of local crofters who own the land and support the planned £17.5m development.
With a declining population and the decommissioning of nearby former nuclear power site Dounreay, MCE sees Space Hub Sutherland as an opportunity to secure the community’s long-term future.
MCE chairwoman Dorothy Pritchard said: “This is fantastic news for the long-term future of our community, and we welcome this decision from the Land Court to grant the change in land use.
"It’s all systems go now for building the space hub, and we look forward to working with Highlands and Islands Enterprise and aerospace firm Orbex in the coming weeks and months ahead.
"Our vision from day one has been to create opportunities for the local community while minimising disruption to our landscape here in Sutherland.
"We know that unless we create more opportunities for people to live and work here then we will lose the heart and soul of our communities.
"The job creation that comes as a direct result of the space hub and additional knock-on opportunities in the future will ensure that our community thrives for generations to come.”
The land court hearing took place over two weeks and finished on Thursday, May 27.
