Back in August, I noted from the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park Authority weekly planning list the following planning application from Luss Estates Ref 2018/0166/DET (see here): Proposal Change of use of former slate quays to allow a) the unloading of felled timber (Storage and Distribution Class 6), b) occasional use for…
Tag: Governance
Parkswatch sometimes gets it wrong and has done so in claiming that with hydro schemes in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park that it is the tracks, not the buried pipelines, which are the main issue. That is not the case at the Burn of Mar hydro scheme, situated at the back of Conic…
Stakeholder Groups continue to view the ongoing situation on CairnGorm Mountain with dismay. This post takes a further look at how Cairngorm is being managed according to the lease agreement between Highlands and Islands Enterprise and their tenant, CairnGorm Mountain Ltd, a.k.a Natural Retreats. The lease contains this clause: Section 2: Maintenance Works to Premises….
Parkswatch has commented several times on the differences between our two National Parks and the evidence now suggests that they are going in two different directions, one generally positive the other disastrous. This was very evident from their Board Meetings which took place in September. The agenda of the September Board Meeting of the Loch…
Venue – Balmaha Visitor Centre Images from Wikipedia On arrival seating was arranged in an Open Area of the Visitor Centre. Then the seating was removed except for three chairs for members of the public attending the meeting – there were four of us! Apparently it was to be a “Standing Meeting” where only members…
Following my post on the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority’s war on campers (see here). I submitted an FOI request asking for the LLTNPA to explain reasons the Loch Achray campsite had not been opened (it was due to open in March 2018) and to make this public. On 10th September I received…
The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Board will be meeting on Monday in the National Park Visitor Centre at Balmaha (see here) The agenda and papers were published over two weeks ago – a record for the LLTNPA – but a reflection of how little is in them. There is only one item…
In August of 2017 HIE initiated a clean-up operation on CairnGorm Mountain. A number of environmental groups had campaigned for this action for years and with over 12 months having elapsed since the commencement of the clean-up, it is time now to examine the results and the value for money obtained for the input of…
On Saturday I was delighted to be one of the speakers at a demonstration against Flamingo Land organised by Save Loch Lomond (see here) and which was covered on STV news (see here). While I believe the decision about whether Flamingo Land goes ahead will ultimately be decided by politics, part of my speech covered planning…
After my post on the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority war on campers, which referred to the Park’s failure to open the new campsite at Loch Achray as promised (see here), local rumours are that the campsite has not opened because the water from the borehole is not drinkable. I have asked the…
Highlands and Islands Enterprise sold Cairngorm Mountain Ltd (CML) to Natural Assets Investments Ltd in 2014. The ostensible thinking behind the sale was that the Natural Retreats group of companies would bring new investment to Cairngorm and make it a profitable business. HIE probably also saw this as an opportunity to recover some of the…
After the fire in December 2017, in which two people tragically died, Cameron House needs to be rebuilt. There are a number of other associated businesses on the site (234 berth marina, 87 lodges, restaurant, golf course and sea plane flights) that have continued to operate since the fire and need to do so…
I was out in Balloch yesterday. There was an ambulance and crew parked and waiting just outside the area that has been cordoned off from the public for the European open water swimming championships. The explanation for this appears to have been that competitors for the championships were trying out their courses: I don’t know…
After my post on the state of the Coire na Ciste (see here), I have been comparing the state of the ski infrastructure higher up the hill with what is required under the terms of the lease between Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Cairngorm Mountain Ltd dated 11th June 2014 (see here for lease). The…
After my recent posts on the lack of agricultural (see here) and (see here) hydro tracks in the Pyrenees National Park and surrounding protected areas and how we could learn from this in Scotland, I thought it worth reminding readers what best practice in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park currently looks like. The…
The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority local member elections, which takes place by postal vote, were counted on Thursday. While the LLTNPA has only published the names of the successful candidates (see here) the full results can be found on the Stirling Council website Election results-2018. This post takes a look at the results…
Back in February I reported the locked gates and signs (see here) on either side of Derrydarroch powerhouse and bridge over the River Falloch to Simon Jones, the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority senior manager responsible for access. Walking past last Sunday I noticed that a new stile had been put in enabling…
I attended the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Board Meeting in Brig O’ Turk yesterday. A cynic might conclude that, with the Flamingo Land Planning Application lodged, this was to get as far away from the people of Balloch as possible but there was not a mention of any special Board Meeting to…
Scotland’s own “Windrush” problem? Following my post on parkswatch and the GDPR (see here) this post takes a look at the civil liberties and governance issues which have been created by the Loch Lomond and Trossach’s National Park Authority’s collection and processing of data under the camping byelaws, itself the outcome of the byelaw enforcement…
The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority elections In a positive step for democracy, the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority has announced the candidates (see here) who have been nominated to stand in the elections to the National Park Board which will be determined by postal vote on Thursday 5th July. I…
The Tourist Season in Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park is now well under way as is the Camping Management Byelaw regime. There appear to have been fewer Camping Byelaw Exemption Applications this year than last but that has not stopped the tents! Interestingly some of applications appear to remain as “awaiting decision”, either…
The implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation and Parkswatch and the LLTNPA Anyone is who a member of an organisation or who subscribes to blogs is likely to have been bombarded recently with communications about the new General Data Protection Regulation which came into force last week. Parkswatchscotland is a blog, not an organisation, …
Yesterday nominations opened for elections to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Board, the only scheduled local elections for Scotland this year. (The next Cairngorms National Park Authority direct elections will be in 2019). One third of the board of each of our National Park Authorities is made up of members directly elected…
On the surface the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority is quite transparent about the complaints it receives, reporting on these to the Government through its Annual Report. Below the surface, however, there is evidence to show that the LLTNPA is covering up what is really going on. In this post I will take…
James Stuart, Convener of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority, has publicly stated that he is committed to ensuring the National Park operates with greater transparency. One of the things I have been lobbying him on in the last year was for the LLTNPA to start publishing ALL responses to information requests…