It’s a strange tension. The Highland Council wants the nights to be darker.
They have a draft planning policy that targets light pollution, aiming to protect views of the Milky Way and the aurora borealis for anyone lucky enough to be in the Highlands. Ken Gowans, a senior SNP councillor, calls it a game changer.
He says this is the first of its kind in Scotland. It “opens the door” to a whole new sector: night-time tourism. Think about that. Charging people to look up.
The Highlands already boast some of Europe’s darkest skies. If you pick your weather carefully, the Milky Way hangs heavy and clear above you. Or the Northern Lights dance across the horizon. Gowans thinks the region should capitalize on this. Hard.
But wait. There is another side to the coin.
Ruraidh Stewart from the Scottish Conservatives isn’t having it. He represents Skye and his main worry is public safety. You can’t dim the lights on a dark road without worrying about accidents.
He also worries about housing.
The Council wants 24,00 new homes built in the next ten years. Stewart says more planning rules could scare off developers. If they can’t build quickly enough because they have to fight over lumens, who pays the price? The people needing roofs over their heads.
It isn’t just one side against another.
Cromarty Firth councillor John Edmondson (Lib Dem) and Duncan Macpherson (Independent, Inverness South) echo Gowans. There are communities who simply hate the glow. They don’t want street lights spoiling their view. It’s an aesthetic argument. A quiet one.
Yet Stewart’s concern is practical. Maybe brutal. Will developers leave if the red tape gets thicker?
Gowans insists the policy is “balanced”. It won’t apply to every single development. Officials produced a report calling it “really important”. But then the committee said they’d do more work. Which is bureaucrat-speak for let’s think about this longer.
Context helps here. No Scottish council has a formal plan on light pollution in their development plan. West Lothian has non-statutory guidance. Dumfries and Galloway did the same in 2020, likely influenced by the UK’s first Dark Sky Park at Galloway Forest. The Highlands wants in on that club.
“We need to capitalise on that.” – Ken Gowans
Is it just about the view? The council argues it’s more. Tackling light pollution saves energy. It protects nocturnal wildlife who are confused by the artificial day. It even helps people sleep. Better sleep sounds good, doesn’t it?
Or does it mean fewer houses get built?
The draft is still just that. A draft. The Highlands have a beautiful, dark sky. The developers need land. The council sits in the middle, trying to keep everyone happy. They probably won’t.
