The Scottish Highlands has some of the worst land inequality in Europe. For centuries, the hamlets and townships along its desolate Northern coast have been beholden to ruthless landlords. Among them, the tiny village of Melness enjoys a rare independence—the farmers and shepherds here own the land they tend to. This gift has come with the challenge, however, of reversing the area's economic decline. In 2015, Dorothy Pritchard, a lifelong resident, came up with an unusual plan to ensure Melness' future. What about building a spaceport? Initially, residents laughed at the idea. "Rockets lifting off in nebulas of smoke from the bog, inclining to their flight path over Tommy's shop in Talmine … It was hard to imagine," Tomas Weber writes in his reported feature on the spaceport. But the townspeople came to see the project as a path to preserving their independence. Opposing them was Anders Povlsen, a Danish fast-fashion billionaire who owns great swaths of the Highlands and is developing the area for ecotourism. His arguments against the spaceport include valid environmental concerns—the launch site borders highly flammable peatland—but Melness villagers are reluctant to relinquish their home to the schemes of another wealthy outsider. Will the spaceport save Melness? Even if so, Weber warns, it may come at the cost of the land itself. — Camille Bromley | Features Editor |
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