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The Campaign for Wild Spaces was founded in May 2015 when The Moray Council granted planning permission for the development of 30 beach huts on a prominent and beautiful part of Findhorn beach. Permission was granted by Moray councillors in spite of over 250 people objecting, in spite of the Council’s own planning officer recommending refusal, in spite of the Community Council’s objections and in spite of the land being part of the Findhorn Bay designated nature reserve.

We believe that in granting planning permission, The Moray Council broke the law. Our only option to have this decision overturned is to take the Moray Council to court and we need your help to enable us to cover the costs of doing this.

As part of a Local Nature Reserve protected by various environmental policies, Campaign for Wild Spaces believes that The Moray Council should be safeguarding this area of beach from inappropriate development.

Please help us prevent the destruction of this beautiful wild space in Findhorn.

Why we need your help

Taking a local government to court is an expensive process. We have already raised over £9,000 from local residents which has allowed us to start the legal process. We have filed a petition with the Court of Sessions in Edinburgh for a Judicial Review, and have a date set for the hearing - 18th November 2015.

However, we need to raise more money to pay for our lawyers to attend the hearing. We also need to raise money to cover additional costs which may be incurred if the court rejects our case.

If the development goes ahead, this view will be filled with beach huts

Why saving Findhorn beach is important

Findhorn beach is an important and popular part of a stretch of beach along the coast of northeast Scotland which was voted by National Geographic magazine as one of the top 10 stretches of beach in the world.

It is both unspoilt and easy to visit, home to notable rare wild plants and lichens, seals, sea birds and sand lizards. It is used by local schools to teach Natural Science and is enjoyed by local people and visitors from all over the world as a place for peaceful recreation.

Development of beach huts on the beach will permanently change the landscape, ruining spectacular views of mountains, sea and sand from one of the most popular and easy to access parts of the beach.

If we are unable to continue the legal process to prevent the beach hut development, this beach will be permanently changed, impacting people who visit the beach for generations to come.

Why we believe we have a strong legal case

The site of the proposed development is part of the Findhorn Bay nature reserve which is an area of land to which environmental policy “E4” applies. This policy states:

Development which would cause the loss of, or impact on, areas identified under the ENV designation in settlements and the ‘Amenity Land’ designation in rural communities will be refused unless:

1. the proposal is for a public use that clearly outweighs the value of the green space; and
2. the development is sited and designed to minimise adverse impacts on the recreational, amenity and biodiversity value of the site.

Neither the planning officer who handled the application, our legal advisors nor the many people who object to this development believe that the addition of these huts to Findhorn beach is for a public use which clearly outweighs the value of the beach space.

We have consulted with a number of legal experts in this area and believe that our argument, on a point of law, is a strong one.

Artist's impression of what the beach will look like with the huts

What happens next

We have already filed our petition with the Court of Session in Edinburgh and our case will be heard on 18th November 2015. It will then take a couple of months before we hear the judge’s ruling.

If we are successful and the development is stopped, we will likely recover much of our legal costs. If we are unsuccessful, the development will proceed and we may also be required to pay The Moray Council’s legal costs - a sum which could be as much as £15,000.

Any funds left over will be used to:

• to try to purchase the land for our local community conservation company - making it impossible for any development to happen in the future.
• help make improvements for disabled access to this area of beach.

Who we are

The Campaign for Wild spaces was started by four residents of Findhorn, Christine Hunt, Mo Hyde, Kirsteen Mitcalfe and Bill Ogilvie and is supported by hundreds of people - local residents and people across the world who love and value the beauty of this important beach.

Please help to save Findhorn beach by donating whatever you can and helping to spread the word.

Rewards

By way of saying thank you for your support we have a number of perks available - all have been generously donated by people supporting the campaign. You can see the list of available rewards on the right hand side of this page, and see below for images of various rewards.

You don't have to choose a reward - whether or not you do, we appreciate your support.

£250 reward: Limited edition print

Giclée print of oil painting by local artist Alexander Hunt, BA (Hons) Fine Art. (limited edition of 10, signed by artist, 420 x 594mm)

£1,000 reward: Edinburgh Week

A week (7 nights) for up to four people in this beautiful Edinburgh flat.

£2,000 reward: Original Findhorn oil painting

Oil painting of Findhorn beach by local artist Alexander Hunt, BA (Hons) Fine Art. (oil on board, 950 x 770mm)