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St Andrews Links Trust has completed the acquisition of land from Easter Kincaple Farm, which sits adjacent to the western extremity of the Links.
The land comprises three fields which have been utilised as farmland and represents a strategic investment by the Trust as part of ongoing sustainability, land and coastal management activity to protect and maintain the future of the Links.
Occupying the area between the northern side of the A91 and the coastline of the Eden Estuary, the land has been identified as a potential ingress point for coastal erosion and flooding. The acquisition allows the Trust to incorporate the land and the coastline into its strategic planning to build enhanced resilience against the threat of coastal erosion and flooding.
Over the past 15 years, the Links Trust and its partners have undertaken significant dune restoration work on the West Sands amounting to the largest and longest-running dune restoration programme in Scotland as well as beach feeding and salt marsh planning on the Eden coastline which have provided protection against coastal erosion across the Links.
In August 2021 Dynamic Coast Scotland published a report outlining a number of potential adaptation and resilience options for the Links, which identified the newly-purchased land as an area of potential weakness.
The acquisition of the land was completed in early 2024 and as part of the agreement will remain in use for agricultural purposes for the foreseeable future.
Neil Coulson, Chief Executive of St Andrews Links Trust said: “I am pleased we have been able to complete the acquisition of this land adjacent to the Links, which will allow us to enhance our ongoing efforts to protect and build resilience against the threat of coastal erosion and flooding.
“As we are seeing elsewhere in Scotland and throughout the world, the threat of coastal erosion is not only an issue that we have to plan for in future years but something which is already having an impact on coastal communities and facilities.
“Not only does this land allow us to add to our coastal defences it also helps protect against any potential future development by third parties. We have no immediate plans for development of the land other than to enhance coastal erosion mitigations. However, while the decision to purchase has primarily been taken on environmental grounds to combat coastal erosion, it may offer opportunities for future expansion of the Links and its facilities in years to come.”
Building resilience against coastal erosion and flooding has been a priority for St Andrews Links Trust for more than a decade. The importance of this work was highlighted by heavy storms and high tides experienced in the latter half of 2023 and the first few months of 2024 on Scotland’s east coast, with many coastal communities impacted. A combination of high tides, storm surges and easterly winds saw significant impact on the West Sands with up to a metre of sand lost in some places.
Ranald Strachan, Lead West Sands Ranger at St Andrews Links Trust, added: “Last winter was a challenging one with a number of storms, high tides and easterly winds impacting our recent restoration efforts. However, while it’s always disappointing to see restoration efforts washed away, it is the exact reason they are built in the first place to provide the first layer of protection in climatic events such as those experienced in the past few months
“There is no doubt we are in a much stronger position than we would be due to the dune restoration work and coastal management that has been undertaken over the past 15 years.
“We will continue to implement defensive and adaptation plans at both the West Sands and the Eden Estuary to ensure there is a long and successful future for golf at St Andrews Links.”
St Andrews Links Trust is responsible for the management and maintenance of the seven Links courses at St Andrews, including the world-famous Old Course, host of The Open Championship a record 30 times.
St Andrews Links Trust manages a number of additional facilities including three clubhouses, a golf academy and four retail stores. More than 250,000 rounds are played over the seven courses attracting visitors from around the world to follow in the footsteps of the world’s greatest golfers and become a part of golf’s rich history.
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