MORAY VILLAGERS HAVE vowed to go ahead with their fight to halt plans to build beach huts on the Findhorn coastline despite failing to reach a fundraising target.
Protesters in the village launched an online ‘crowdfunding’ appeal hoping to raise the £25,000 required to pay for a legal challenge to the plan to create 30 colourful beach huts on a local beauty spot.
Moray Council gave developers permission to go ahead with the plan despite a recommendation from planning officials that they should not do so and several objections lodged by local residents.
The fundraising drive launched in September aimed to allow a legal challenge to be launched, with the developers agreeing not to start work on the site until the outcome was known. However, the funding effort has fallen £6000 short of target, casting doubt over the protesters ability to lodge the challenge.
Now the villagers insist they will take their case to the Court of Session in Edinburgh next week despite the funding shortfall, saying that the strength of feeling against the plans in the community remained strong.
Organiser Christine Hunt said: “We are still going ahead with the legal challenge. We have had so much support from people in the village who do not want the beach huts built, so we are persevering with this.
“It is important that the beach is saved from commercial development, many people in Findhorn are very anxious to see it is maintained as a wild and unspoilt space.”
Ms Hunt said the group were “optimistic” about the case and would be glad when it finally reaches court on Wednesday next week.