Our Story
Save Our Green Space (SOGS) formed in late-2023 in opposition to a proposed housing development on the outskirts of Invergordon, Ross-shire. The development will destroy the town’s last remaining wild, traffic-free greenspace, and irreversibly damage the ancient woodland surrounding it. The site is a sanctuary for our community, a haven for biodiversity and protected species, has a settlement history spanning over 1000 years, and is a vital part of our heritage.
In response to the development, SOGS held a public meeting, community drop-ins, went door-to-door with leaflets, had articles published in the local newspaper, lobbied councillors, enlisted the services of Planning Objections Scotland and generated significant community opposition. Objection after objection was submitted to the Highland Council against the proposal, not one submission was in favour.
Tabling the development for approval was a last-minute addition to the agenda of the April 16th 2024 Highland Council North Planning Committee. At that time, the new Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan (IMFLDP2) that removed the site from development altogether and should have automatically rejected the development plans, was due to be ratified just three weeks later.
Despite significant evidence of the development’s lack of compliance with local and national policy, misleading information included in the report that recommended approval, incorrect statements regarding the incoming IMFLDP2, and huge community opposition, the development was nevertheless approved in principle by the Highland Council North Planning Committee on 16th of April.
While the assumption was that the deal was done and SOGS had stopped fighting, this could not be further from the truth. Since then, we have spent hundreds of hours between us learning about planning and environmental policies, procedures and legalities, spoken to planning experts and MSPs, and sought opinions from legal professionals.
In December 2024, our solicitor submitted a letter on our behalf outlining the Council’s legal obligation to re-assess the proposal under the new policy context. As a result, the proposal was forced to go back to the Planning Committee on January 22nd 2025. This time, the updated Committee Report stated that the proposal “no longer complies with the IMFLDP2 or with the National Planning Framework 4”. Yet, astonishingly, it still recommended approval based on misleading statements regarding the Freeport and housing. In doing so, it bypassed the very principles our policies were designed to protect and in direct violation of the Council’s commitment to a plan-led system, just six months into the implementation of the new IMFLDP2. The decision has now been delayed again until the Highland Council North Planning Committee on March 12th 2025.
