I WAS interested to read the article by Greg Russell “Young Scots firmly back world’s first carbon-neutral space hub in Scotland” (June 11).
It seems that a substantial majority of young adults in Scotland are in favour of developing the world’s first carbon-neutral space hub on the A’ Mhoine peninsula, according to a new survey. The YouGov poll of 1015 people revealed that 85% of 18- to 24-year-olds favoured the hub.
Space Hub Sutherland’s main benefit is perceived as helping secure the long-term future of Melness and its surrounding areas. Job creation was cited as an important factor by 94% of young adults. The environment-friendliness of Space Hub Sutherland was important to 91% of Highlanders polled, while three-quarters of adults supported it after reading a description of the proposals and 72% said they supported the creation of a space industry in Scotland.
READ MORE: Young Scots firmly back world’s first carbon neutral space hub in Scotland
However, it appears that “local” billionaires Anders and Anne Holch Povlsen have asked a senior judge to overturn the planning permission. The couple own land near the proposed space hub and have concerns about its impact on protected areas. Planning permission for the facility is being challenged in a judicial review at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
Danish businessman Mr Povlsen is reportedly worth around £6 billion. This is up around £1.3bn this year alone, as his online clothes shopping company grew as a result of the Covid lockdown. It seems every cloud does have a silver lining – for some.
He bought the 42,000-acre Glenfeshie estate in the Cairngorms for £8 million in 2006. Since then, the billionaire, who is the biggest single shareholder in the Asos online retailer, and his wife have bought up huge swathes of the Scottish countryside. They now own about 220,000 acres across 12 estates. He recently spent €13 million for a stake in Denmark’s FC Midtjylland.
A quick look at some property web sites will show you that a wee plot of ground to build a wee house in the highlands can cost either side of £100,000, a sum well beyond the means of the average young person. It seems very little has changed since the time of the Highland Clearances, except the internet mega-rich have now become the land owners. Vast areas of Scotland remain the playground of these people. Their accumulated personal wealth could not be spent in a hundred lifetimes.
There is a Dougie McLean song which includes the words “you cannot own the land/the land owns you.” In time Mr Povlsen and his like will exit this life, as we all do. As an old friend of mine used to say, “there’s nae pockets in a shroud.” I wonder what will be Mr Povlsen’s legacy? How will the world remember him?
Would it not be an fitting and abiding legacy if he would donate, free of charge, a portion of his vast estates, and a little of his vast fortune, to local communities to provide low-cost, high-quality housing to be forever reserved for local young folk and stop trying to keep Scotland frozen in the 16th century?
Brian Lawson
Paisley
IT is noticeable that the Bidens are immaculately presented at the G7 in Cornwall in contrast to Johnson’s normal dishevelled appearance. I thought he would have made some effort, but obviously not.
His scruffy appearance and demeanour symbolises the mess that the UK is in. I also felt that the body language coming from the Bidens indicated that they did not feel entirely comfortable around Johnson and Johnson.
I have no idea why members of the royal family have had to be wheeled in.
I am hoping for something of use to come out of all this, but I have a feeling it is yet another PR exercise by Johnson to deflect from the problems brewing in Northern Ireland and beyond.
Susan Rowberry
Duns
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