LATEST
NEWS

Bird concerns seemingly resolved, but Coul Links still faces key objections
Sean Dudley
/ Categories: News

Bird concerns seemingly resolved, but Coul Links still faces key objections

The development of the proposed Coul Links golf course near Embo, Scotland, has moved a step closer after a key objection was reportedly resolved.

The Scotsman is reporting that the Recreation and Access Management Plan the course’s developers created has been revised in order to address concerns raised by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the public body responsible for the Scotlands natural heritage.

SNH rejected the initial plans for the course, citing in particular the loss of around 16 acres of natural dunes which acts as a habitat for local wildlife.

Developers have now revised the Recreation and Access Management Plan and submitted it to SNH.

Todd Warnock, a business entrepreneur and one of the men behind the project, told The Scotsman that any ornithological objections with the Recreation and Access Management Plan have now been resolved. He added however that the developers were continuing to discuss the site’s dune habitats with SNH.

Coul Links is the brainchild of golf course developer Mike Keiser and Todd Warnock, who have both worked with land owner Edward Abel Smith and the Embo Trust to develop plans for the course. 

If the potential new course is given the green light, developers believe it could bring in more than £60 million in its first decade of operation, as well as creating 250 new jobs.

However, there are mixed opinions as to whether the development should go ahead. Though the course would likely boost tourism and the economy of the area, conservationists have raised concerns that rare dune habitats and endangered species that could be negatively impacted by any development. The proposed site of the course includes a designated site of special scientific interest (SSSI).

SNH is one of a number of organisations to have voiced concerns, with Scottish Wildlife Trust, RSPB Scotland, National Trust for Scotland and Buglife also all expressing apprehension about the project.

Undoubtedly, the project’s next big hurdle is the dune system at Coul Links, and whether the developers can address the concerns raised regarding this.

A spokesperson for SNH told The Scotsman: “Since providing our advice to the Highland Council late last year we have continued to work closely with the developer and their consultants to develop a Recreation and Access Management Plan to protect wintering and breeding birds on and near the proposed golf course. We hope to soon agree this plan with the developer. Our primary objection – the impacts to SSSI sand dune habitats – remains unresolved.”

Previous Article Reworked nineteenth hole at Kingston Heath opens for play
Next Article Five-year bunker project at Effingham Golf Club reaches completion
Print
4183 Rate this article:
No rating
Sean Dudley

Sean DudleySean Dudley

Other posts by Sean Dudley
Contact author

Contact author

x
The October 2024 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!
Magazine, News | Thu 17 Oct, 2024

The October 2024 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!

The Keep at McLemore, a Bill Bergin-Rees Jones mountaintop design in northwest Georgia, features on the cover

Fall 2024 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now
Magazine, News | Tue 10 Sep, 2024

Fall 2024 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now

Cover story focuses on how today’s architects have been inspired by the links courses of Britain and Ireland

FEATURE
ARTICLES

Team building
Turfgrass
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Team building

Turfgrass has launched its US arm with the appointment of John Lawrence, Adam Moeller and Brad Owen. Richard Humphreys speaks with them, Turfgrass founder John Clarkin and director of agronomy Julian Mooney to find out more

Birdie Act: An end to templates?
Kevin Murray
Feature | Adam Lawrence

Birdie Act: An end to templates?

Legislation before the US Congress would extend the copyright protection that currently exists for buildings architecture to golf course design. But would that preclude the construction of classic hole designs, asks Adam Lawrence?

The art of project management
Leeds Golf Design
Opinion | Giulia Ferroni

The art of project management

Giulia Ferroni of Leeds Golf Design spells out the intricacies of executing a masterplan and the skills required from a golf course architect

Brian Curley: Life of Brian
Brian Curley
Interview | Adam Lawrence

Brian Curley: Life of Brian

The designer has surely clocked up more air miles than anyone else in the business. Adam Lawrence caught up with him in between flights to discuss his career and his new venture with Jim Wagner

Spey Bay: Old and new
CDP
On site | Adam Lawrence

Spey Bay: Old and new

Scottish club is a very old-fashioned links with very modern ownership, an interesting mix, says Adam Lawrence

The Club at Golden Valley: Golden and modern
Peter Wong
Report | Richard Humphreys

The Club at Golden Valley: Golden and modern

Kevin Norby has completed a centennial project at Minnesota course, to modernise infrastructure and restore much of AW Tillinghast’s design philosophy

The Club at Quail Ridge: Turning up the contrast
Fry/Straka
Report | Richard Humphreys

The Club at Quail Ridge: Turning up the contrast

Fry/Straka and NMP Golf Construction embark on a huge rebuild of the North course, five years after the South was renovated

Minchinhampton GC: Striving for sustainability
Minchinhampton Golf Club
| Matthew Mears

Minchinhampton GC: Striving for sustainability

Matthew Mears discusses the benefits a ClearWater washpad recycling system has realised for the Cotswolds club

Native Links: A new era of native-owned courses
Cal Nez Designs
Good Read | Mark Wagner

Native Links: A new era of native-owned courses

Mark Wagner discusses the topic of his new book: the relationship and history between Native Americans and golf

Sahalee CC: Out of the woods
Patrick Oien
Report | Toby Ingleton

Sahalee CC: Out of the woods

The Seattle club has completed a programme of sensitive renovation work on its tree-lined course

Stonehill: A new level for Thai golf
Jason Michael Lang
On site | Richard Humphreys

Stonehill: A new level for Thai golf

Kyle Phillips has transformed some desolate mud land north of Thailand’s capital into one of the country’s best golf courses

Gopher Watch Competition – October 2024
Gopher Watch, News | Mon 21 Oct, 2024

Gopher Watch Competition – October 2024

Which course has Sandy the gopher visited this month?

MOST
POPULAR

FEATURED
BUSINESSES