Directors of company set to take over running of Dornoch Airfield asked to meet with leisure users of site to address concerns

The directors of a company poised to take over the running of the Highland Council-operated Dornoch airfield are being asked to attend an early meeting with the site’s recreational users in a bid to address concerns.

The move follows a fiery meeting of Dornoch Community Council last week attended by a number of disgruntled dog walkers and other regular leisure users of the area.

They hit out at an alleged “lack of transparency and clarity” over what is happening to the airfield, and complained about barriers recently erected to prevent parking near it.

There were also complaints about a lack of signage and control over the size and type of aircraft landing at the unlicensed airfield.

One told community councillors: “If you want to take people with you, you need to be open and transparent.”

Another said: “Visitors come in the summer thinking they are going to have a nice, leisurely walk and planes suddenly appear out of nowhere.”

The 41-acre airfield, which has a 775-metre long grass runway, is located on Dornoch Common Good Land near to Royal Dornoch Golf Course.

Historically, the former military airfield has been used in a variety of ways, including as a base for local groups operating radio-controlled planes and vehicles and a landing spot for private operators.

Highland Council put the runway up for lease in September 2023. It is understood a company called Gizzen Briggs is close to signing a five-year lease.

Gizzen Briggs was incorporated with Companies House in April 2024, and its activities are described as “service activities incidental to air transportation”.

Its directors are listed as Gary Gruber, Neil Hampton, who is the general manager of Royal Dornoch Golf Club, and Hugh Urquhart.

Highland Council community development manager Phil Tomalin said at last week’s meeting that Highland Council did not have the resources to police the airfield but was leasing it to someone who could run it more efficiently.

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He added that Dornoch Community Council had been consulted about the future of the airfield and had agreed that it should be offered for lease.

“There was plenty of consultation with your representatives, but the time that has elapsed makes it appear as if there has not been,” he said.

He explained that there was no need for a formal public consultation because there was no change of use involved and the lease was only for five years.

The meeting was told that the potential new operators of the airfield had been given permission to temporarily erect barriers at the end after a plane clipped a vehicle.

Mr Tomalin said: “What they are trying to do is stop people from parking at the access to the end of the runway, which is not acceptable - this is a practice that has developed over the years.”

He continued: “I think we can find a way through this. It is just finding a way to accommodate people who want to go down there for different purposes.”

Cllr Jim McGillivray, secretary of Dornoch Community Council, said the airfield was an important asset for Dornoch and also to major employers locally, such as the Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle, which employs 247 FTEs, and Royal Dornoch Golf Club, which employs 60 FTEs and 130 caddies in the season.

“It has got to be run as a community asset in the interests of the local population,” he said. “We have to find a solution that is amicable and sustainable.”

Cllr McGillivray suggested that a meeting between leisure users and the new operators could be held after the lease was signed.

He was concerned that if the lease was delayed, the future tenants of the airfield might walk away from the deal.

However, those present felt it would be more beneficial to have a meeting before the lease was agreed in order that their concerns could be heard and addressed.

It was agreed to seek a meeting with Gizzen Briggs directors at an early date.

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