Month: February 2018

February 28, 2018 Nick Kempe 1 comment

Yesterday, on way up to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority meeting on the Cononish goldmine, I stopped off to take another look at the Derrydarroch hydro scheme in Glen Falloch – I had not been to the powerhouse area for over a year.    I don’t recall seeing the top sign on the…

February 27, 2018 Nick Kempe 3 comments

The consultation on the Cairngorms Main Issues Report (see here), the discussion document which precedes the new development plan,  closes this Friday.   The Scottish Government has mooted in the Planning Bill the abolition of such reports with Planning Authorities moving direct the draft plan stage in the name of efficiency.   To their credit, the Cairngorms…

February 24, 2018 Nick Kempe No comments exist

“Wild land areas must get the same absolute protection as national scenic areas and national parks. Time is running out for Scotland’s most precious natural asset: its landscape, as more and more wild land is eroded by development” That was the response of David Gibson, Chief Executive of Mountaineering Scotland, after the Court of Session…

February 20, 2018 Nick Kempe 1 comment

Both our National Parks have two statutory objectives which incorporate the term ‘sustainable’: “to promote the sustainable use of natural resources”, and “to promote sustainable economic and social development of the area’s communities”.  As I revealed last week (see here), while the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority has adopted a policy on mining…

February 19, 2018 Nick Kempe 5 comments

Two weeks ago, when I was in Glen Clova, I went to take a closer look at some of the tracks I had seen while doing a round of the Glen Prosen skyline (see here).  This post takes a further look at what has been happening.  None of the five tracks featured here appears on…

February 17, 2018 Nick Kempe 1 comment

Until a couple of days ago, there was NO information on the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority website about Board or Committee Meetings this year, no dates, nothing.  I had written to the LLTNPA about this a couple of weeks ago, only to be reminded that the October 2017 Board Meeting had agreed…

February 15, 2018 Nick Kempe 1 comment

The Scottish Government’s Planning Bill and the CNPA response In December, the Scottish Government published its Planning Bill and this is now going through Parliament and will be considered this month by the Local Government Committee.    While in the Memorandum  accompanying the Planning Bill the Scottish Government clearly states “The purpose of planning is to…

February 7, 2018 Nick Kempe 20 comments

Last weekend was the first time I had visited Glen Clova for several years.  The public road up the glen terminates  at a Forestry Commission (paying) car park and visitor centre. In contrast to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, which has installed gates across car parks which it then locks, the public are…

February 5, 2018 Nick Kempe 3 comments

I was alerted to Scottish Natural Heritage’s consultation on the Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve “We want to hear your views on our proposed management and any additional ideas you would like us to consider”  through Mountaineering Scotland news (see here).   The consultation (see here for draft management plan and excellent history) is open until…

February 2, 2018 Nick Kempe 1 comment

Further evidence of the political power of landowners in our National Parks was revealed yesterday when Kate Forbes, the SNH MSP  for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, held a reception for the Gift of Grouse http://www.giftofgrouse.com/ at the Scottish Parliament.    This was preceded by an excellent post from Raptor Persecution Scotland (see here) lambasting the claims…