Space Hub Sutherland is not the right action for future generations and will become a 'disappointment', claims Anders Holch Povlsen
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Business tycoon and Sutherland landowner Anders Holch Povlsen has spoken of his 'sadness' that Sutherland Space Hub has been cleared for take-off.
Mr Povlsen, who owns land next to the site of the planned space port at the remote A'Mhoine peninsula on the north coast, was speaking by Zoom to the Northern Times' sister paper, the Badenoch and Strathspey Herald.
His talk with the Herald followed a rare online appearance last Friday in a ceremony staged by Woodland Trust Scotland to announce the winners of Scotland's Finest Woods Awards 2021.
Mr Povlsen, who also owns Glenfeshie Estate, has won the New Native Woodland trophy for the 755 hectares Killiehuntly woodland in the Cairngorms.
The clothing entrepreneur told Strathspey and Bandenoch Herald reporter Tom Ramage: "All is well with us except that we are sad about maybe losing a great big beautiful landscape in Sutherland to a rocket-launching station."
Mr Povlsen did not expand on the 'maybe' – it has already been reported that his environmental and tourism company Wildland Ltd will not appeal a judge's rejection of the challenge it made against the space port plan.
The Danish born billionaire went on to maintain that the vertical launch pad would give local communities "more to be sad about than any positives for them".
He added: "This is not the right action for future generations and it will become a disappointment.”
The alternative Shetland Space Centre he had backed made “a lot more sense”, he said.
“Shetland is a brownfield site, an ex-MoD area, with all the infrastructure and buildings left obsolete.”
