Dumbarnie Links golf course environmental impact assessment

Challenge

Dumbarnie Golf Links Limited was seeking consent to construct and operate an 18-hole links golf course with clubhouse, at a site along the Fife coastline. The site is roughly 165 hectares in size and is located 1.4km south east of Upper Largo and Lower Largo

The site is north of the international and national conservation designated Firth of Forth Special Protection Area (SPA), a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and Dumbarnie Links Nature Reserve Scottish Wildlife Trust Site.

Due to the size of the project, and its location, the project required an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be carried out under the 2017 EIA regulations.

Solution

SLR acted as the environmental advisor for the project and submitted a comprehensive EIA Report to Fife Council. The report provided a range of environmental information for Fife Council and its consultees to inform the process of determining the application for planning permission to construct and operate the Proposed Development.

SLR was responsible for authoring a number of the introductory and technical chapters including Landscape and Visual, Geology and Soils, Hydrology, Transport, and the overall coordination of the EIA Report. We worked closely with the planning consultant (PPCA) and renowned golf course architect, Clive Clark Design, and the wider design team to provide a comprehensive submission within a challenging timeframe.

Impact

Planning application was granted by Fife Council and the course opened in 2020.