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DORNOCH — The Royal Dornoch Gondola Company (RDGC) has confirmed it will hold the first of two statutory Pre-Application Consultation (PAC) events at a location to be determined Friday 11 September 2026, 6pm–8pm, in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 and the Pre-Application Consultation (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021.
The event follows the lodging of a Proposal of Application Notice (ref: 26/03151/PAN) with The Highland Council, which requires developers of major and national developments to consult the community at least twelve weeks before a formal planning application may be submitted. The proposed cableway — running from Tain across the Dornoch Firth to a northern terminus at Brora, via the Carnegie Club, Dornoch Cathedral, and the Royal Dornoch Golf Course Tee Box, etc. — is understood to be the first development in Sutherland to be classified as "national" by volume of correspondence alone.
Display boards, route maps, artist impressions, and a scale model of a Standard Class cabin will be available for public inspection. Comment forms will be provided, along with pens, which attendees are asked to return.
CEO Dr. Gary Bethune welcomed the consultation requirement. "Strictly speaking, the cableway enjoys pre-Reformation consent under the customary law of the Firth crossings, which I have documented extensively," said Dr. Bethune. "But we are delighted to observe the modern formality. Consultation is at the heart of everything we do. We have been consulting this community since long before the community was aware it was being consulted."
RDGC legal counsel Dustin Weeks reminded attendees that, under Scottish planning law, comments made at a PAC event are made to the developer and do not constitute representations to the planning authority. Anyone wishing to formally object must do so separately to The Highland Council once an application is submitted. "It is one of the most beautiful sentences in Scottish administrative law," said Weeks. "In the strictest legal sense, nothing said to us on the eleventh of September counts. We find that takes the pressure off everyone." Weeks confirmed that his earlier proposal to rename the event a "Pre-Consent Celebration" was withdrawn on advice.
Station Master Stan Pennington will oversee event logistics, including a one-way queuing system laid out across 340 square metres of premium artificial turf. "People consult better when they're moving in one direction," said Pennington. "It's the same principle as the gondola itself."
Feedback may be submitted on paper, or — for residents seeking permanence — inscribed immutably on-chain via an RDGC coin transaction memo, a service offered by Cryptocurrency Specialist Lucas Matusik. "Paper degrades. The Highland Council degrades," said Matusik. "Your cyrpto objection will outlive both."
Light refreshments will be provided by community engagement volunteers.
A second and final PAC event will be held at Brora Community Hall in October 2026, at which information will be displayed showing how feedback from the first event has been taken into account, if applicable.
Moira Sutherland, 71, of Embo, said she planned to attend both events. "I came out to object to the last thing and it got built," she said. "So I'll have a scone."
Consultation details
Event 1: Friday 11 September 2026, 6pm–8pm
Proposal of Application Notice: 26/03151/PAN (The Highland Council)
Feedback deadline: Friday 9 October 2026
Notice: Advertised in the Northern Times not fewer than seven days prior to each event if possible.
Comments made at these events are made to the Royal Dornoch Gondola Company and are not representations to The Highland Council. The Royal Dornoch Gondola Company thanks you in advance for your understanding on this and all future points.
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