On Monday, the lead letter in the Herald was about the destruction going on at Cairngorm under the aegis of Highlands and Islands Enterprise and calling for the Scottish Government to remove ownership of the ski area from HIE.

I have been looking out for a response from HIE.  There has been none.  The Herald usually publishes responses from public authorities to criticism in their columns immediately after receiving them.   It seems likely therefore HIE has decided they cannot defend the indefensible and are just hoping this will all blow over.

 

One reason it won’t are the concerns being expressed by people in the local community about how Cairngorm is being managed.   The Our Land festival, which is about giving people power over the use of land, includes an event  event being held in Aviemore on 17th September part of which is about the potential for the local community to takeover the running of the ski area:

 

“A community lead business model that reinvests money in staff and infrastructure, a resort that is run by boarders and skiers for boarders and skiers”.

 

Now  I believe a community business model should also be about summer use – Cairngorm is our fifth highest mountain and the main access is through the ski area – but the point here is that people in the local community have no faith in HIE’s appointment of Natural Retreats.  In addition to skiers and boarders, there are many other people don’t have any faith in either HIE’s or Natural Retreats’ ability to make the ski area a good place to visit in summer and there is extensive photographic evidence to show that they are unfit to protect the environment there.    There is a fantastic opportunity therefore for various interests to come together and realise these objectives.

 

I would not expect HIE to support this.  Indeed, by stipulating prior experience of running facilities was required for the tender process that led to the appointment of Natural Retreats they excluded local community interests from bidding.    I believe the pnly way that change can happen is if the land is transferred from HIE as Dave Morris called for in his letter to the Herald but the Scottish Government could use their powers, which are explicitly referred to in HIE’s title to the land, to direct HIE to take effective action to prevent any further damage at Cairngorm and to terminate its lease with HIE