Plans For New Links Course Near Royal Dornoch Rejected By Scottish Government

Plans to build Coul Links, a new 18-hole golf course near Royal Dornoch in Embo, have been rejected for a second time by the Scottish Government. Ministers turned down the revised proposal due to concerns regarding its potential impact on local wildlife and the surrounding environment. An earlier version of the project had previously been denied in 2020 after initially receiving local council approval in 2018.

Local conservation groups and Ramblers Scotland welcomed the decision to protect the sensitive dune habitat. However, the project's backers, Communities for Coul, expressed severe disappointment, arguing that the development led by American Todd Warnock would have delivered valuable investment and employment to the Highlands.