HIE Expects The Major Legal Decisions to Support the Future Sutherland Space Hub

Britain is on the verge of a new space era that starts with the Sutherland Space Hub. The Orbex Prime rocket and commercial satellites will be launched from this facility on A’ Mhòine peninsula. The strategic and construction sides of the project consume enough effort. But there is also a legal side that has its peculiarities.

Sutherland Space Hub Permission Review

At the moment, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Sutherland Space Hub developers, together with their partners from Orbex and several other companies, are waiting for two significant legal decisions. First, Highland Council’s permission to spaceport construction made previously was subjected to judicial review. And now, the Court of Session in Edinburgh has to decide on it.

Scottish Land Court to Balance Crofters’ Rights and Sutherland Space Hub Permissions

Another anticipated decision concerns the rights of the local crofters. The point is that the site’s owners are the Melness Crofters’ Estate, which has leased it to Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Apparently, the case is somewhat controversial since the Scottish Land Court heard it for more than a fortnight. The hearing finally ended in May, and the judicial review was conducted for over three days in June. Today, the only thing left is to wait for both decisions, as the whole future of the UK’s space sector relies on them.

Sutherland Space Hub is an important project for the UK space industry. The developers, the government, and the citizens have great expectations in this regard. A lot of foreign investors, sponsors, and partners have been involved in the development process. However, like any project of such scale, the facility has its supporters and opponents. The first understand how monumental this step is for Britain and how many jobs it could create. The second group is concerned with the impact Sutherland Space Hub will make on the neighbouring peatlands.