Natural Retreats have finally submitted a valid planning application to the Cairngorms National Park Authority for the new track they constructed and the bank they destroyed (see here) and photo above. Neither had planning permission. As the Cairngorm ski area is part of the Cairngorm National Scenic Area all new tracks there require full…
Tag: HIE
One might have thought after all the recent publicity about destruction at Cairngorm that Natural Retreats would have started to take just a little more care. The latest evidence show nothing has changed and the spin from Natural Retreats bears no resemblance to what is happening on the gound. Having claimed on their…
In a sign that they are feeling the media pressure (e.g here) Natural Retreats’ post on 11th August headed “Reinstatement of Embankment” tried to portray a positive picture of what they are doing at Cairngorm. Natural Retreats claim that the work on the Coire Cas gantry work “was required in order to make the…
On Monday, the lead letter in the Herald was about the destruction going on at Cairngorm under the aegis of Highlands and Islands Enterprise and calling for the Scottish Government to remove ownership of the ski area from HIE. I have been looking out for a response from HIE. There has been none. The Herald…
The planning permission that was granted to replace the shieling t-bar with a new lift, the sheiling rope tow, and to reprofile the slope was conditional on Natural Retreats keeping to the plans it had submitted, most of which were contained in the Method Statement. The photo above provides proof that this was simply ignored:permission…
I am pleased to see that there is a Hen Harrier day event in the Cairngorm National Park at 1pm on Sunday at Cairngorm https://www.facebook.com/events/253914288297410/. I am even more delighted to see that Peter Argyle, convener of the Cairngorms National Park Authority is one of the speakers. In the last few months I have posted…
It is good to be able to report that following coverage on Parkswatch, Natural Retreats has been making some effort to clear up Cairngorm. Indeed it has created a new section on the Cairngorm Mountain website to try and convince the wider world that they are doing a good job http://www.cairngormmountain.org/category/behind-the-scenes/. Last Sunday I walked…
I was delighted that the coverage by parkswatchscotland of the destruction at Cairngorm was picked up by Rob Edwards in the Sunday Herald and on his website two weeks ago. The articles are significant because they include confirmation from a senior member of staff within the Cairngorms National Park Authority that the work undertaken by…
Dear CNPA, I have some sympathy with you as planning authority, about the destruction and mess at the Coire Cas T-bar because, after Natural Retreats claimed emergency work was needed to replace the t-bar gantry before the last ski season, Highland Council let them proceed without planning permission. This provides an opportunity for the…
Dear CNPA, If you want to know just how much material Natural Retreats removed from the bank below the Shieling ski tow without planning permission, this photo all the evidence you need. Hard to believe that HIE is now justifying this on the grounds that “the area around the base of the lift needed…
I am delighted that both Keith Bryers from HIE – see previous post – has confirmed that at least some of the destruction undertaken by Natural Retreats required planning permission and that they now expect two retrospective planning applications to be made to the Cairngorm National Park Authority, one for the bullodzed track and the…
Keith Bryers, Head of Property and Infrastructure at Highlands and Island Enterprise, has responded to my post on why the destruction at Cairngorm happened https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2016/06/23/destruction-cairngorm-happened/. I welcome the fact Mr Bryers is prepared to explain HIE’s position which is as follows: “This project was funded by HIE as part of a package of works to…
I was never in favour of the funicular railway, a white elephant that has drained resources about the ski area, but great care was taken in its construction as is shown by the photo below. The area where earth works could take place was clearly demarcated and many of the bases for the stanchions were…
It feels a little strange to be writing about the CNPA Board Meeting today http://cairngorms.co.uk/meeting/board-2016-06-24 – a small issue in the scheme of things – when Britain has voted to leave the EU but Scotland has voted the other way. I believe the political and economic uncertainty this has already caused creates opportunities as well…
The creation of the new rope tow in Coire Cas, which created so much destruction at Cairngorm, required planning permission Removal of Shieling Ski-Tow & replace with a modern rope-tow of similar length and profile The Shieling tow replacement supporting images document is worth looking at as it gives a very clear picture of how this…