The battle against Coul Links goes global

The fight against the proposed Coul Links golf course has gone global and viral with an online protest. The armchair warriors are up in arms, but we think they are completely misguided.

More than 80,000 people have now signed a petition against the project. But it’s easy to sign an online petition, without knowing all the facts, and having a wider perspective on what the proposed new course could deliver to the local economy. Real people, real jobs.

Ecological surveyor Andrew Weston started the Save Protected Nature at Loch Fleet from Golf Development vandalism petition, and has defended the huge numbers of people from outside the area who have protested.

He said that an analysis of who had signed the petition would be made before it is handed in to Highland Council before the December 22 deadline.

People resident in Scotland had “predominantly” signed the petition, which then stood at around 18,000, before it went viral.

Dornoch resident Mr Weston put the huge increase in protest down to the petition now being more widely circulated.

He said: "It is not a parochial issue – it is a site of international significance and as a result has attracted a wide range of opposition.

"There is a lot of local opposition and I know of local golfers who do not want this course."

"How do you value the tourist value of our Sites of Special Scientific Interest? Why do tourists come to Scotland – do they come to play golf and would those tourists come if it is all golf courses?”

We think you’ll find that golf is actually rather important for Scottish Tourism, and that another course near Royal Dornoch will bring in more visitors to what remains a remote part of Scotland

Scottish Natural Heritage has objected to the course, specifically on two points, which the developers say are surmountable.

We are going to follow this story closely. A new top quality course near to Royal Dornoch can only be a massive boost to the region, and give a necessary incentive for golfers to get up to Inverness and sample the delights of Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart, Nairn and the lesser known Brora and Golfspie, which we adore.

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