In late 2018 the RSPB submitted a planning application to construct a new footpath at Ward’s Farm, part of the National Nature Reserve (NNR) at the south east corner of Loch Lomond (see here for the planning papers that remain public). Over 18 months later, on 25th May, the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park…
Author: Nick Kempe
On Saturday, my partner and I drove 50 miles from Glasgow to go walking in the hills east of Durisdeer, off the A702 south of Abington. The decision to ignore the Scottish Government’s guidance to stay local and to go south was quite deliberate. I knew there would be far fewer people in the countryside…
Yesterday the Scottish Government formally announced its proposals for Phase 1 of its Route Map out of the Covid-19 lockdown. The proposals involve relaxing controls over activities that take place in the outdoors so long as people stay apart: working outdoors, meeting people outdoors and outdoor recreation. While parts of the guidance are excellent and…
The news that the Specialist Leisure Group (see here) and (here), the holding company for Shearings, has gone into administration should be a wake up call about the impact the Covid-19 lockdown is having on the economy of our National Parks and rural areas more generally. 2,500 jobs are likely to be lost, of which…
I read, with mounting disbelief, the Scottish Government’s “route map” out of lockdown (see here). The fundamental human right of freedom of movement has been reduced to something called “getting around”. The advice – we have yet to see whether it can be enshrined in law – is that from next week people may drive…
Yesterday, following a last ditch post (see here) in the early hours (which I circulated to all Board Members), the Cairngorms National Park Authority Planning Committee nodded through Highland and Island Enterprise’s planning application to repair the funicular. There was no formal vote. None of us who have been campaigning against the repair of the…
Letter Strathy 14th May from Parkswatch contributor Graham Garfoot. HIE has refused to release the engineering reports on which the proposals to repair the funicular are based. Highland and Island Enterprise’s Planning Application to repair the funicular is to be considered Friday morning (see here) and Cairngorms National Park Planning Officers have recommended…
This story, which appeared in the Guardian last Saturday, appears to have been placed by Police Scotland. It was headed by the quote – cut off in extract above – on the left. The article fails to answer the obvious question, why are the police saying “This is not the time to visit our areas…
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…
[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)…