I had been fairly pleased with my letter to the Herald until I watched, on Wednesday, the country that beat the virus on Channel 4. Recommended viewing if you have not seen it. South Korea, a country with a population of over 50 million, have not beaten the virus of course, but they are suppressing…
Author: Nick Kempe
[NB information at end of post updated 15th May] A number of developers across Scotland appear to have taken advantage of the Covid-19 lockdown to undertake work without appropriate permissions. An example of this is at Ben Cruach House, in Tarbet, which appears to be owned by multi-millionaire, David Moulsdale, and which was included in…
[My apologies, first version of this post yesterday did not take account of latest advice from the Covid-19 Advisory Group. This has been corrected and post also updated to reflect what is going on in North Lanarkshire] This post takes a look at how Public Authorities have been applying the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restriction) Regulations…
Following the planning application to repair the funicular (see here), Highlands and Island Enterprise have submitted another two Planning Applications at Cairn Gorm. These indicate that HIE intend to submit no less than six further applications in the short-term. This post explains what is going on and takes a critical look at the new applications…
“And of course given how severely this virus is affecting older people and those with other health vulnerabilities, some form of shielding will almost certainly be required for the foreseeable future” (Nicola Sturgeon on lifting “lockdown” (see here)). In the last few weeks, as a result of the Corona Crisis, Parkswatch’s attention has shifted from…
While arguing in my last post (see here) that Scottish Natural Heritage’s advice on access to farmland during the corona crisis undermines the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and is unduly restrictive, interestingly it contains a link to the quite separate Scottish Government advice on taking dogs outdoors for a walk that is far less restrictive….
On Monday (20th April) the Scottish Parliament met, sitting two metres apart. The session started with the Presiding Officer asked MSPs to take particular care to maintain that distance when arriving and leaving at the Chamber. That same day the First Minister announced a crackdown on workplaces that had been allowed to remain open but…
This post takes a look at the scope of Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s planning application (see here for papers) to repair the funicular, its proposals for accessing the areas where they say work is required and the impact that this will have on the natural environment. The scope of the Planning Application Graham Garfoot’s post (see…
Because perceptions about the risks of Covid-19 vary widely across the population, I think its important to be clear about my own starting point. I write this as someone who is not scared of catching COVID-19, as the risk to fit 60 year olds is very low, but has no wish to do so, or…
This post takes a look at the Scottish Government’s increasing drive to restrict when and how people – including staff working for the NHS on the frontline – can leave their homes for their own mental and physical health and how this fits with our access rights and human rights. Shifting “medical” advice When…
While access to the countryside has been shut down, thousands of people have lost their jobs and some now are starving in their homes (see here), while health workers, social care workers and bus drivers have been losing their lives because of a lack of Personal Protective Equipment, planning in the Cairngorms National Park…
This letter from David Fallows about the need for the Cairngorms National Park Authority to webcast Board Meetings speaks for itself. It’s something I have been calling for for both our National Parks ever since the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority unlawfully held 13 Board Meetings in secret to decide their camping byelaws. …
The corona crisis – the lessons of foot and mouth and a beacon of hope in the countryside “lockdown”
[NB this post has been updated. I have been informed that the LLTNPA has not closed the gates to all its carparks but instead police tape has in some cases been placed across them] The Foot and Mouth Crisis We have been here before, although the corona crisis is far more serious. I well…
I will come to National Parks later, but Dr Catherine Calderwood is no fool. She didn’t get to become to be Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer by not have a clue about how viruses work. Her drive to Fife, her stay overnight in her second home and subsequent resignation tell us, I believe, four things: First…
In the corona panic, the Scottish Government and our Public Authorities have completely lost all sense of reason. It will have serious human and environmental consequences. What the Coronavirus Health Protection Restriction Scotland Regulations (see here), passed last week by the Scottish Government without any parliamentary scrutiny, actually say is that you cannot leave where…
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…
Ten days ago I, like many others, was prepared to accept that tough measures were needed for a temporary period in order to suppress the COVID 19 to manageable levels. I was concerned, however, that public health was not being given the resources necessary until a vaccine is developed (likely to be another 12 months)…
I was pleased to have this letter published in the Herald today. Its got nothing to do with National Parks but everything to do with what’s happening in them, as this post will explain. Until our governments set up contact tracing and testing like South Korea and China have done, there will be no end…
The corona crisis has swept all before it. What seemed rational just a few days ago is now deemed unacceptable, whether that was the advice issued our by our recreational organisations (see here), the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority holding a truncated Board Meeting last Monday (see here) or the measures put in…
I was pleased to have this letter published in the Herald last week following a post last year asking why grazing had been allowed to continue on the slopes (see here). The proposed Woodland creation scheme for the Rest and Be Thankful 2019-29 on the slopes of Beinn Luibhean is still open for consultation (see…
With half the country in panic mode, I was pleased I took a break from my book and attended the scheduled Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Board meeting on Monday (see here). What the tattered remnants of the meeting showed is that this is a Public Authority only interested in itself and its…
Yesterday, I enjoyed a ski tour up Sgairneach Mhor in the Drumochter Hills, accessed by the track up Coire Dhomhain and a bridge over the river. Unlike many tracks in the Drumochter Hills, this one is old and appears on the 1981 OS Second Series 1:50,000 map. The steeper sections, however, have been badly eroded…
I am pleased to publish below, with their permission, the Friends of Loch Lomond and Trossachs’ response to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park’s Authority draft outdoor recreation plan (see here). It should be required reading for every LLTNPA Board Member before they consider the update report on the draft Outdoor Recreation Plan on Monday (see…
The Scottish Government claims to be doing lots to empower local communities in Scotland (see here) but the reality is rather different. For every community that has managed to acquire land to great public fanfare, there are a hundred that have been trampled over by the planning system. Power in Scotland is arguably as centralised…
Following yesterday’s post Spreading misinformation about Glen Feshie and access in the Cairngorms National Park I have been sent two photos. The first (above), was sent from Roy Turnbull of the Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group to illustrate his comment on my post: “Not only is there now (of course) no restriction of access in…