Asos billionaire’s petition to stop spaceport plans scrapped by judge
Danish billionaire Anders Povlsen’s attempt to stop approved plans for a spaceport in Scotland has been scrapped by a court judge.
Povlsen, Asos’ largest shareholder and Scotland’s richest man, has reportedly been against the building of the spaceport after investing in a rival project.
The Sutherland spaceport will be the UK’s first vertical launch facility, in the country’s bid to become a global leader in commercial spaceflight and satellite launches.
The judge has ruled against Povlsen on every count, saying “none of the grounds of challenge is well founded”.
The billionaire, who has made his fortune in the retail sector and also owns Vera Moda, challenged the environmental impacts the site would have in his petition.
Specifically, Povlsen was concerned the project had failed to consider “the potential legal consequences arising from the disturbance of bird species”, according to court documents.
Povlsen also argued that the project had not yet applied for permission for visitor facilities, an argument the judge was “not persuaded” by.
“I am not persuaded that the respondent has erred in law. In my view this is not a case where there has been salami slicing of a project which ought to have been assessed as a single development.
“On the contrary, there is a rational justification for not identifying the proposed location of visitor facilities and for not applying for permission to develop them at this stage.”
The CEO of Scottish rocket company Orbex, Chris Larmour, praised the ruling, saying it was good news for both the UK’s space sector and the local economy.
“This is extremely positive news for a wide variety of communities and businesses and paves the way for the Pathfinder launch of small satellites from Sutherland Spaceport in Scotland.
“We’re especially pleased for the crofters of the Melness Crofters Estate, who will be able to protect and develop their community with modern jobs. Sutherland is still the only UK spaceport with planning permission and now, with this ruling, the countdown to space launch from the UK can begin.”