IT is one of Scotland's most remote outposts, where the wind breaks over the landscape undisturbed by human activity.
But now the cry of the seabirds over the tiny island of Vallay will be broken by the sound of heavy machinery after a controversial plan to extract 5,000 tonnes of sand from its shores was given the go-ahead by the Scottish Government.
Builders' merchants in the Outer Hebrides had called for the right to mine Vallay, off the north coast of North Uist, for sand after saying that none was available locally and that they would have to bring in material from Ireland at greater cost.
But Western Isles Council refused to allow the area to be exploited, meaning the matter was referred to the Scottish Government for a final decision, and Ministers have now allowed the appeal.
Planning inspector Richard Hickman overturned the initial ban by Western Isles Council saying that he was satisfied by evidence of overriding need.
The remote island is not part of the land bank of sand reserves identified in the area's minerals plan, but buildings firms were able to argue that and exception should be made.
The inspector said there was an overriding public interest in using sand from a local source as an alternative because of the extra costs of transporting sand from further afield, as well as an operational need for an economical source of mortar sand for local building projects.
The sand will be extracted at a rate of 500 tonnes per year over a ten year period. On completion, the site would revert to rough grazing using seaweed as landfill.
Mr Hickman said:"I acknowledge the importance of the development strategy to safeguard remote areas and the objective of avoiding unnecessary additional mineral developments.
"However, I am satisfied that this would be a justifiable exception to these overall policies based on the specified criteria for such exceptions,"
He added: "I find that it would be an acceptable modest and low key development in an unobtrusive location that would have a minimal effect on the local landscape, transport and road safety, the amenity of residents, and the enjoyment of those visiting the area for recreational purposes.
"For the same reasons, along with the specific locational need that has been demonstrated, it would not in my view set an undesirable precedent for other mineral proposals not covered by policies, nor for other more significant proposals located within the remote areas of the islands."
The extraction plan is bound by certain conditions, and has to cease by than 31 January 2026, with all machinery removed by 31 March 2026.
The land will be restored to grassland agricultural use using seaweed and a machair seed mix.
Any items of potential archaeological interest that are encountered during the extraction of sand must be reported immediately to the council's archaeology service.
The history-rich uninhabited island was once home to 60 people but was abandoned decades ago.
Its most famous resident was the Victorian businessman Erskine Beveridge, head of a successful linen company based in Dunfermline, who was also a leading archaeologist of the era.
Beveridge's studies of the tidal island's neolithic past shed light on the ancient history of Scots in the Outer Hebrides, and his ruined home Vallay House can still be found on the island.
A spokesman for Western Isles Council said: "The Comhairle has been notified of the decision of the Reporter and notes that it is predominantly based on the statements of the builders merchants which lack the independent scrutiny that the minerals planning policy required.
"A planning approval exists for a nearby sand source in North Uist and as scientific tests on both that and the sand from Vallay revealed no difference in character, the ‘over-riding need’ test to be satisfied for it to permit for extraction from another site was not objectively proven and it was on that basis that the Comhairle did not grant a planning approval."
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