In my last post on Glen Falloch (see here) I considered the impact that the very heavy rainfall of 5th August had had on the hydro intake pools. I argued that the serious infilling and damage in some cases appears to be a fundamental design flaw which results from schemes being constructed in unsuitable places. …
Author: Nick Kempe
The camping byelaws in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park cease to have effect from midnight tonight. Before then you commit a criminal offence if you “set up, use or occupy a tent, wigwam or bivouac at any time” within one the four “camping management zones” the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority…
Ever since the storm which swept away part of the West Highland Line on 5th August I had been wondering what impact this had had on the hydro schemes there. I had been expecting it would have caused significant erosion of the hydro tracks, but never anticipated its impact on the hydro intakes. The extent…
Climate complacency? Today, as I write this, the Scottish Parliament has been debating what the media tend to refer to as the Climate Change Bill. Its not. The Bill contains not a single measure which will tackle carbon emissions or mitigate the impacts of global warming. Instead, its all about setting targets, as its full…
On Friday I, along with many other adults, joined the student inspired climate “strike” in Glasgow. Protest is essential and being out on the streets with so many other people was indeed inspirational. There is no doubt many people want change and urgently. As, however, the police helicopter hovered over George Square gobbling up carbon,…
Parkswatch was sent photos a couple of weeks ago of new road construction on the Balavil Estate. Earlier this year Balavil was granted planted permission by the Cairngorms National Park Authority to construct a controversial new road over into the heart of the Monadliath Wild Land Area (see here) and (here). (Work on that…
Today Scottish Enterprise and Flamingo Land issued a joint news release (see here for full text) announcing they had withdrawn their planning application for “Lomond Banks” at Balloch, which was due to be considered by the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Board next week. The news release makes it clear this is only…
The Cairngorms National Park Authority’s consultation on its new Economic Action Plan, 2019-22, will close on Friday (see here). While there are some good things in the plan, this post argues its exhortation for people to work together won’t work under our current system and it fails to address the one economic matter over which the…
Last week I welcomed (see here) the recommendation by officers that the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Board should reject the Flamingo Land planning application. I praised the fact that part of their recommendation is based on the Sandford Principle which states that where there is a conflict between the statutory objectives of…
This post takes a further look at the environmental implications of Highland and Island’s Enteprise current planning application to create a beginner’s ski area at Cairn Gorm and a new application to vary the conditions Highland Council attached to the temporary Adventure Play area in Coire Cas. Development, erosion and flood risks at Cairn Gorm…
The successful challenge to Argyll and Bute’s car parking charges on Mull Back in April the local community in Mull and Iona protested against the imposition of new £9 a day car parking charges by Argyll and Bute Council at Fionnphort (see here). Last week they forced the Council to back down, in part it…
A number of people have been asking me about what is happening with the seven Glen Etive Hydro schemes which were approved by the full Highland Council in March. Until last month, it was difficult to answer. There had been no reports of activity on the ground and no further information had been added to…
[ [ [NB this post has been updated since first issued to correct I mistake. I had stated a planning application to build a car park in the site above had been refused in April. I have removed that and related comments and inserted correct sequence of events] Rob Edwards from the Ferret has continued…
Its now over 6 weeks since Scottish Natural Heritage opened its consultation on the General License (see here) which runs until Weds 9th October. This post takes a look at the consultation, how the licensing system for killing wild birds in Scotland operates and argues that different and higher standards should apply in our National…
In the first bit of really welcome news (see here) to have emerged from the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park for some time, officers have recommended that the entire Flamingo Land Planning Application is refused. This includes both the proposals for land owned by Scottish Enterprise and the National Park itself on the Riverside…
Last week Audit Scotland, who are responsible for overseeing financial management by public authorities, published their annual audit of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (to March 2019) and a supplementary report “Cairngorm Mountain and the funicular railway”. The supplementary report (see here ) is succinct, extracts information which is hard to find in the main…
Last week news of yet another proposed major development on the western shores of Loch Lomond emerged. The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority published its response to the pre-application consultation proposals on their planning portal (see here) and this then received coverage in the Helensburgh Advertiser (see here). This post explains why the…
[This post has been updated since publication to correct two erroneous claims, that not all of Balmoral is included in the East Cairngorms Moorland Partnership and that Delnadamph, owned by Prince Charles, was not a member of the partnership. See below]. The news that mountain hare numbers have collapsed in Scotland (see here for excellent…
In the run up to the National Park’s hearing on their Planning Application on Tuesday 24th September, Flamingo Land appear to have decided to go onto the offensive. Besides their attempt to discredit West Dunbartonshire Councillors objection to the application (see here) and (here), which I will consider further below, they have been feeding more…
If the declaration of a climate emergency by the Scottish Government is to mean anything, we all need to think and act differently. Continuing to look at and treat the natural environment in the same old way, as a commodity to be used and exploited, just won’t do. We need to become far cleverer about…
In March there was quite a debate on Facebook – 130 comments – about work that had recently been completed on a 1km section of the West Highland Way by Keilator Farm in Glen Falloch just before it reaches Crianlarich (see here). To their credit Gordon Baillie Contracting Ltd have not tried to remove any…
The first reason West Dunbartonshire Council gave for objecting to the Riverside and Woodbank House Planning application was that local Councillors regarded it as “overdevelopment and departure from the Local Development Plan”. In planning terms this is very important because Local Development Plans are meant to set a framework for what type of development takes…
[UPDATE: This post was prompted by an article in the Guardian claiming NTS had decided to end driven grouse shooting at Mar Lodge. This was subsequently changed – thanks to James Shooter for pointing this out. I have since checked with NTS staff who have helpfully explained they adopted a new Vision and Master Plan…
Last year in the Pyrenees, after a couple of hours walking west from Bujaruelo along the GR11 we came across a large – 50 plus – group of young people packing up camp after a night of very heavy rain. I was struck at the time that you would be very unlikely to see such…
The arrangements for taking the planning decision On 29th July the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority issued a brief news statement setting a date for their Board visit to the West Riverside site (Monday 24th September) and for the Board Hearing and meeting which will decide the Flamingo Land Planning Application (Tuesday 25th…