Protect Calgary Bay
A 250-square-metre second home is proposed on one of Scotland's most protected coastal sites — adjacent to an SSSI in ‘unfavourable declining’ condition, in a council area with the highest second home rate in Scotland.
Two consultees have formally objected to this application. SEPA submitted a holding objection on flood risk grounds (18 Feb), and the Council's own Biodiversity Officer submitted a holding objection confirming the site is within the Calgary Bay LNCS and requiring extensive ecological surveys before consent. Butterfly Conservation Scotland has also submitted an expert letter identifying a decades-old moth colony along the proposed access road. See the consultee tracker →
Two Holding Objections
SEPA objected on flood risk (18 Feb). The Council's own Biodiversity Officer objected the same day, confirming the site is within the LNCS and requiring extensive surveys. The application is effectively frozen.
Surveys Can't Start Until April
The Biodiversity Officer requires otter, breeding bird, reptile, invertebrate, and habitat surveys — all at the “appropriate time of year.” That means spring/summer. The earliest determination is now autumn 2026.
Calgary Dunes SSSI
Adjacent site in ‘unfavourable declining’ condition. Proposed sewage discharge near the SSSI with no water quality modelling.
Otters Confirmed On Site
European Protected Species. The applicant's own survey found two otters, spraints, and resting sites — but no EPS licence assessment has been submitted.
40+ Protected Species
Local records and Butterfly Conservation Scotland monitoring data identify over 40 species with legal protection or conservation status, including three European Protected Species, nine Schedule 1 birds, and a decades-old moth colony along the access road. The November survey found only a fraction.
Housing Emergency
Council declared June 2023. 603 second homes per 10,000 (highest in Scotland). 133 Mull jobs unfilled.
Five Applications in 18 Months
This is the 5th planning application at Calgary since August 2024. Same case officer, no cumulative assessment of any kind.
How Your Objection Changes the Outcome
Every word gets read.
The case officer must summarise every issue raised in the committee report. Your specific concerns become part of the official record.
The committee decides.
420+ objections mean this goes to elected councillors, not the case officer alone. Two local ward councillors sit on the committee that will vote.
Your voice stands alone.
Your objection in your own words is a separate material consideration that the committee must weigh individually — and that's harder to dismiss.
What's at Stake
Calgary Bay sits at the intersection of seven overlapping environmental, heritage, and safety protections:
Meanwhile, Mull has just 7 affordable rental homes on the entire island (Mull & Iona Community Trust), and the council declared Scotland's first Housing Emergency in June 2023.
The Application
A 4-bedroom house (~250 sqm), boatshed refurbishment, and a 500m coastal track upgrade at Land by Calgary Jetty, Isle of Mull.
Alex and Kezzie Acloque. This would be a second home, not a primary residence. The applicant is a property developer and company director (public record).
Spread the Word
420+ objections and counting. Share with anyone who cares about Calgary Bay.