Amid the public outcry about the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority’s approval of the Hunter Foundation development at Ross Priory, the Scottish Government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals Division has opened a case (see here) on whether an Environmental Impact Assessment should have conducted. Until that is decided, the LLTNPA’s decision has effectively been…
Category: Loch Lomond and Trossachs
On Monday I watched, or tried to watch, the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Board meeting online (see here for papers) . The “lifesize” video link kept cutting out soI had to log back in ten or so times. It appeared from disappearing Board Member and vice-convener Willie Nisbet that I was not…
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…
Signs in the countryside form part of the narrative about access and help shape public understanding about what the right to roam in Scotland means. Even if ignored by many, I find it hard to pass signs without taking a photo. Six weeks ago, on spotting a cluster of signs behind a Welcome to the…
The Planning Application for the Hunter Global Leadership Centre at Ross Priory, which I wrote about in June (see here), is due to be considered by the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority on Monday. The Planning Report makes sorry reading and throws any pretence at objectivity to the wind. As in the…
Backed by a host of environmental NGOs, the Greens have secured a debate in the Scottish Parliament this week about the Nature Emergency. With the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful still closed, it seems to be a good time to highlight further the challenges posed by landslips (see here for Glen Falloch and…
In September I visited the Pentlands Regional Park twice and was quite concerned about how access was being managed in response to the influx of people into the countryside. Parking was restricted, toilets closed and there was a proliferation of “no” signs (see here). Apart from some quite helpful signage about social distancing and one…
I was pleased to have this letter published in the Herald on Monday. While Nicola Sturgeon didn’t introduce legal restrictions on travel yesterday, she made it clear that her government is working on them (see here): “These will remain in guidance over the next week but we continue to prepare the regulations, and resolve the…
It is hard to know whether to be inspired or depressed by the battle over vehicular use of “green lanes” which I touched on a year ago in post comparing what was going on in the Lake District National Park and the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park (see here) The latest newsletter of…
This post takes a look at the planning application for a proposed distillery, visitor centre and warehouse in the conservation village of Luss submitted on 11th August by the Hay Partnership on behalf of Glen Luss Distillery Ltd. The proposal The application (see here) is in two parts. The first, the area in red on…
Recently a new publication appeared on the LLTNPA website under Our Plans and Publications. This is headed “Indicative Regional Spatial Strategy (Draft) – 2020” (see here). The following includes excerpts from it. You will see that there are areas included for potential development where there has already been controversy and public outcry, notably proposals for…
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…
I have been staying in Braemar for the week and so far have seen almost no litter (and no fly tipping) in the Cairngorms National Park, quite a contrast to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park in the summer (see here). Even accepting that it is now quieter than August, the differences are quite…
Ben A’an is a honeypot for hill walking, especially for “beginners”. Fantastic views, steep and craggy enough to provide a sense of adventure and not too far from urban populations, it is many people’s first hill. It has been very popular for some time and has become even more so due to the corona crisis. …
A week ago, Land Use Consultants withdrew their request to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority for a scoping opinion about a possible chalet development on land between the River Falloch and the A82 north of Ardlui (see here) after a large area of ancient woodland had been unlawfully felled. Back in 1992…
Two weeks ago I spoke to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Board (see here) about the urgent need to consider improved visitor infrastructure over the winter as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. More specifically, I tried to draw attention to deficiencies in papers on Visitor Management and Litter Prevention that…
Yesterday, on my way up to Speyside I pulled into a layby and parked behind a trailer loaded with crates. I did not realise immediately but half were packed with adult red legged partridge (you can just see them in the lower four crates on the left). Breeding of red-legged partridge is now a sizeable…
After my post last week (see here) on attempts to stop people exercising access rights post-Covid, I was sent these photos from Ledard Farm in Strathard. The Land Reform Act gave people the right to access fields with livestock and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code states this clearly: “Access rights extend to fields with farm…
On Monday I was pleased to speak at the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Board Meeting on the need for improved visitor infrastructure in the National Park. While I will come back to the case I presented (see here) in a further post, I was only about to do because the LLTNPA has…
Following the release of lockdown, I have come across far fewer no access signs in Scotland’s countryside compared to the aftermath of the Foot and Mouth crisis in 2001. The main impediments to access in areas like the east shore of Loch Lomond have been the closure of roads and car parks by Public Authorities…
In the early hours of Sunday, only six days after it was re-opened (see here), the A83 was closed after another landslide on the slopes of Beinn Luibhean (see here). The BBC report stated there had been 75mm of rain in 24 hours. Then yesterday the West Highland Line was closed between Bridge or…
The Dirty Camping debate in the Scottish Parliament On Wednesday, almost an hour after it was scheduled and after a very long day, MSPs started to debate Murdo Fraser’s motion on Dirty Camping (see here) at 6pm. Although the chamber appeared mostly empty, a number of MSPs contributed online and the debate went on until…
The Scottish Parliament this afternoon debates a motion (see here) by Murdo Fraser on Dirty Camping, just the second members’ debate since the start of the corona crisis. While the Scottish Parliament increasingly appears to have little real power, what is said today could still be very important for framing any debate on camping and campervanning…
When I went up upper Glen Falloch on 8th August to look at the hydro intake (see here), I spotted a new forestry road on the far side of the river. This appears to be in the exact same location as a road which was notified to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority…
If you did not hear the Call Kaye programmme on 18th August, “Is it time to stop moaning about tourists”, it is highly recommended listening. It is available on iplayer (see here) for another 9 days (from 1 min 20 secs for an hour) and, after all the moaning, mainly featured people who were advocating…