Scotland’s first broch in 2,000 years gets green light

Highland Council has approved the Caithness Broch Project’s (CBP) proposal to construct a faithful replica of an Iron Age broch on a site north of Latheron, along the A9, about 16 miles south of Wick. The decision means Scotland could soon see the first new broch rise since the Iron Age.

Brochs are tall, circular, drystone towers that date back more than 2,000 years. Found only in Scotland, they were typically built with double walls and could stand up to 18 metres (40 feet) tall, often capped with a conical, turfed roof. Their precise function remains a mystery with experts believing they may have been dwellings for local chieftains, symbols of status, or defensive farmsteads.

Caithness is home to more than 200 broch sites, the highest concentration anywhere in the country, though most now survive only as tumbled piles of stone. The Caithness Broch Project hopes to change that by reconstructing a 13-metre-high tower using traditional drystone techniques.

“We are over the moon to announce that we have won planning approval to construct our replica broch. This is fantastic news,” said a project spokesperson.

“This has been a long journey and is the result of a lot of hard work from the team.

“No one worked as hard to get this over the line as our very own Dawn Maclean, though, so we must offer huge thanks for the mountain of work she put in. What an achievement!”

Dawn Maclean, one of the project’s directors, added: “It’s really exciting and it has taken a long time to get to this point. The charity was formed 13 years ago – it hasn’t taken that long to get planning permission – but it has taken a long time to find the site. It is such an unusual project. No-one has ever done it before.”

The project has already secured support from a local landowner and partners including the Flow Country Partnership and the University of the Highlands and Islands’ North, West and Hebrides division. One idea being explored is to make the broch the official eastern gateway to the Flow Country UNESCO World Heritage Site — a vast expanse of protected blanket bog.

Highland Council granted planning permission under delegated powers, subject to several conditions including measures to protect local birdlife and the creation of a traffic management plan for the nearby A9.

Construction will begin once full funding is in place. The project is expected to cost around £1 million, with more than £25,000 already raised through donations. The fundraising campaign remains open at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/buy-the-broch-site.