Tag: Freedom of Information

February 10, 2023 Nick Kempe 5 comments

For the last few years the Herald has carried a full page feature about once a week on the climate emergency and nature crises.  Every 4-6 weeks this involves NatureScot, the new brand name for what is legally still Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).  Sometimes these pieces are written by NatureScot – often under the name…

October 21, 2022 Nick Kempe 3 comments

A couple of weeks ago the latest accounts for Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Ltd (CMSL), Highland and Island Enterprise’s wholly owned subsidiary, were published (see here). They are a charade but confirm it is not just the financial liabilities created by the funicular which are the problem. While CMSL describes its principal activity as “the operation…

October 8, 2022 Nick Kempe 4 comments

Hidden away  among the many comments on Flamingo Land’s Planning Application is a letter from Emma Yendell, Estates Manager with the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA) (see here).  While comments from other Public Authorities are mostly highlighted as such, this one from the LLTNPA is marked as “correspondence” and easy enough to…

September 28, 2022 Graham Garfoot 2 comments

This post contains the second part of the report (see here for first) that was presented to Ivan McKee, the Minister responsible for Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) at the beginning of July.   Draft Report in response to the financial crisis facing Cairngorm Part II  The bigger picture 4) What is needed at Cairn…

May 18, 2022 Nick Kempe 2 comments

Last month, in a great piece of investigative journalism (see here), Rob Edwards from the Ferret obtained a copy of a document called the “Salisbury Crags Rock Risk Management Options Appraisal 2021” from Historic Environment Scotland (HES).  This revealed that HES are seriously considering trying to close the Radical Road in Edinburgh permanently.  Although I,…

November 30, 2020 Nick Kempe 17 comments

Last Monday the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Planning Committee  approved the Hunter Foundation (THF)’s proposals (see here) and (here) for a “Global Leadership” (and wedding) Centre on the shore of Loch Lomond unanimously. While the meeting was webcast live, unlike other public authorities our National Parks do not make recordings of their…

October 20, 2020 Nick Kempe No comments exist

Moulsdale Properties’ planning application at Tarbet In a welcome decision, this week Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority planners rejected a retrospective planning application from Moulsdale Properties for the enlarged entrance and road leading up the Ben Cruach Lodge (see here).  Key points from the report (see here) are: There was widespread opposition to…

October 14, 2020 Graham Garfoot 2 comments

Photo courtesy of the Save the Ciste campaign showing the Funicular Viaduct from the washing line tow. Is this what the mountain will look like when work commences? The development of the Business Case to repair of the funicular (see here) was shrouded in secrecy.  This post takes a look at what Highland and Islands…

April 2, 2020 Nick Kempe 11 comments

Last week, without anyone noticing, the Scottish Government followed the UK Government and used the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (Scotland) Regulations to remove our right to protest. What the regulation means is that if health and social care staff or other workers walk out of their workplace to protest against the lack of personal protective…