The Folly
A folly is defined as:-
(1) the quality of being foolish.
(2) a foolish action, idea, etc., and,
(3) an imitation castle, temple etc. built as a decoration in a large garden or park (National Park?)!
And that is exactly what the Cairngorm ski resort has become because of the failed aspirations of management at Highlands and Islands Enterprises (HIE) and Cairngorm Mountain Scotland Ltd (CMSL). Management who refuse to take notice of the snow sports enthusiasts who have been trying for years to get the kind of ski resort that would make Cairn Gorm, Badenoch and Strathspey the U.K. number 1 ski destination again.
The Masterplan.
Usually in a Parkswatch post I would work my way through the document, as proposed by the consultants involved, looking for the flaws in the arguments. But this has already been done in my posts on the SE Group report (see here for example). Most of this version appears to be just a re-hash but without any up-to-date figures or costings. This is what happens when you pay £80k+ to one business consultancy and only about half that to another!
Few people will be aware that, besides Alan Mackay’s posts recently featured posts on “beyond the funicular” (see here and here), after my post on “A plan for the future of snowsports at Cairn Gorm” (see here), a number of other people with a great deal of expertise in snowsports infrastructure developed alternative proposals for Cairn Gorm and submitted them to the Masterplanners.
On a personal note I would like to thank those people, both individuals and businesses, who, some at my request, sent their own detailed ideas to the consultants. Sadly, It looks like it was a complete waste of time and effort as nothing from that work has been included in the masterplan!
What needs to happen
Until HIE realises that the ski resort is the key part of any business at Cairn Gorm and changes its attitude to include snow sports enthusiasts whether from locally, Scotland or the wider UK, Cairn Gorm will become the newest folly as defined in (3) above.
That would be an incredible loss and devastating blow to Scotland and the rest of the UK!
HIE last week extended the consultation period until 14th September (see here). If responding to the online questionaire (see here), please rate your answers to ensure that snow sports needs to be central to the vision, strategies, principles and any activities that take place at Cairn Gorm
I entirely agree with contributor Graham Garfoot’s comments. As I previously commented to the article ‘the consultation that wasn’t ‘,
Whilst mountain biking was mentioned in passing, there was little mention of snow sports, which to state the blindingly obvious is what has generated the need to address the funicular fiasco. If you fail to specifically identify Snow sports in the comments and just follow the protocol of the survey then Snow sports will never be on the table.
Its a pitiful attempt at consultation and more so, an attempt to ‘appear’ to consult. The nature of the questions seem to be about substantiating a Vision based around brand new Buildings to house organisations in comfy nests, rather than facilitate Activities on the Mountain. The vision as presented and as the survey hopes to endorse is one in which more public money will be sucked up by organisations and consultants with little remaining to be spent on the mountain and its activities.
Its approaching 2 years since this fiasco became apparent. 2 years wasted. 2 years in abeyance for businesses and livelihoods in the valley. This insincere attempt at consultation is just a distraction from what needs to happen, and what should have happened long ago.
This masterplan process is yet another HIE con – at public expense. HIE have spent tens of thousands on masterplan consultants to come up with a brainstorming wish list of ideas, which could have been achieved in an half day session with a few interested parties. There has been no attempt at conducting a market survey (winter and summer market) to understand what visitors to the area want, and what attracts them or would attract them to visit. Add to that the condition that the masterplan has to assume the funicular is repaired, and all the secrecy and expense of creating an undercover business plan, again at great expense using hired consultants to do the job that HIE seems incapable of doing.
Hopefully the Scottish Government will at last see through HIE’s incompetence and reject HIE’s business plan to repair the funicular. Otherwise, we have the sham consultation on the future of Cairn Gorm – which ticks the box at having been seen to consult – and then if SG funding is made available – HIE will then just do what it wants……..and of course fail yet again.
Its very difficult to register an opinion that is at odds with their tightly framed scenarios. in other words its a stitch up.
One thing I find jarring is the continued use of the term world class. This is plainly just nonsense hype.
I used to go to Cairngorm to ski until the neglect and the funicular drove me away.
Outside skiing, I rarely go to Cairngorm because I do not find it to be a particular attractive mountain. Its much better to look at, than be on. The habitats are interesting but thats about it. If I want an attractive spectacular mountain to enjoy then the wet coast is full of them.
None of the developments being promoted in this strategy actually need to be on the mountain. There are better, more accessible and less fragile places closser to Avimeore.
As has been mentioned on Parkswatch before it doesn’t even pass muster as a masterplan, more like some sort of marketing strategy based on a fishing expedition- more of the same- throw stuff at Cairngorm and hope something will stick eventually. Quite a few years ago a masterplan for Glenmore was drafted but its area of scope was quite limited, it can be seen at
https://cairngorms.co.uk/resource/docs/boardpapers/27062014/CNPA.Paper.6334.Board.Paper.9.Annex.1.pdf
I don’t know what happened to it but an approach for the whole glen is needed. The fact that three separate masterplans have been talked about in one relatively short glen- one for Cairnrgorm, one for Badaguish and one for Glenmore just tells you the obvious that one is needed for the whole area between Aviemore and Cairngorm, but like all plans it would need real commitment in terms of both attitude and resources.
Apologies second part of my comment didn’t post- here it is:
I don’t know what happened to it but an approach for the whole glen is needed. The fact that three separate masterplans have been talked about in one relatively short glen- one for Cairnrgorm, one for Badaguish and one for Glenmore just tells you the obvious that one is needed for the whole area between Aviemore and Cairngorm, but like all plans it would need real commitment in terms of both attitude and resources.