[Ed note: for earlier post on this meeting (see here)] Under the Convenership of James Stuart it has become a feature of Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Board Meetings that they are held in venues other than Park Headquarters – Callander Youth Project; Brig O Turk Village Hall; Balmaha Visitor Centre and most recently…
Tag: LLTNPA
The Scottish Government approved the camping byelaws in January 2016 on condition that the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority would create new camping infrastructure. 300 new camping places were promised for the first year and the Scottish Government delayed implementation of the byelaws by a year to give the LLTNPA time to put…
Prior to the serious flood damage to some of the hydro schemes in Glen Falloch (see here), I had been trying to persuade the Convener of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority, James Stuart, that there have been some serious planning failures in respect to hydro schemes in the National Park which his Board…
The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority held its quarterly Board meeting last Thursday (see here) in Kinlochard Village Hall, in Strathard. Almost everything about the meeting, from the location to the agenda items to the discussion, illustrated complacency about the declaration of a climate emergency by the Scottish Government six months ago. …
This post looks at how little of the ORP 2013-17 (see here for plan) has been fulfilled from a Water User’s perspective. At the time of writing this article there has been no sign of a new or even ‘refreshed’ Outdoor Recreation Plan to replace the outdated 2013-17 ORP. The Loch Lomond and the Trossachs…
On my way north on Saturday I noticed that Ewich Forest, which is currently owned by Forest and Land Scotland, has been put up for sale. Ewich Forest is the block of conifer forest which extends from Crianlarich north along the west side of the A82. The West Highland Way traverses the forest from Crianlarich…
Following the great rainstorm of 5th August, which swept away part of the West Highland Line, I was expecting to find significant damage to the seven hydro roads in Glen Falloch when I visited at the end of September. In the event found that the damage which the storm caused to the hillsides, in…
The camping byelaws, which were intended to ban people from staying overnight in the four camping management zones without a permit, also allowed people to apply for exemptions in certain circumstances. These included Duke of Edinburgh award expeditions and Events requiring the erection of tents. This post takes a look at how the National Park…
Last Thursday Moulsdale Properties Ltd held a pre-planning application consultation event on its proposals to create a large new development in the village of Tarbet (see here). I went along to the Three Villages community hall in Arrochar to have a look at their proposals and hear more. This post takes a critical look at…
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. …
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…
Last Saturday I took to the hills above Ardgartan to climb The Brack and Cnoc Coinnich, both of which are classed as Corbetts. I had not planned to be on the hills at all that day, but the sight of bright blue sky above early morning mists in the Blane Valley proved irresistible. Armed with…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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…