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On the Scottish side, the bulk of the Solway Coast,
from Gretna to beyond Kirkcudbright is SSSI, Sites of
Special Scientific Interest. The two exceptions are the range
at Dundrennan (surprise, surprise!) and an area centred on
the Urr estuary, which is classed as a National Scenic Area
(NSA, formerly an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, AONB)

Suppose for a moment that a group of industrious young folk
wanted to establish a new community built on pilings in
Auchencairn Bay. They would build their dwellings, gather and
farm shellfish and possibly establish water sports facilities for
locals and visitors, who knows? It would certainly be a curiosity
attracting tourist interest. It would also provide dwelling
places and employment for some of our young folk, use local
materials and labour in construction, increase turnover at local
traders, and probably provide children for local schools. It
would be human scale.

They would, of course, need a lease from Crown Estates to occupy
the sands, and they would require various planning consents.
Compare their chances of obtaining these with those of a
consortium of global corporations wishing to put up a giant
windfarm with virtually no local benefit.

Just idle speculation.... Oh, by the way, it seems the National
Scenic Area ends when you step into the water. The scenery isn't
part of it.

Further tilting at windmills: Grants for Destruction Don Quixote Rides Again Welcome to the Third World What Sort of Folk are the New Neighbours? What is Appropriate in a Scenic Area? Shady Dealings Windfarms Italian Style

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