I have previously touched on elements of the Cairngorms National Park Authority draft Partnership Plan (e.g see here and here) and wanted to take a look at the Plan as a whole as it is supposed to provide the framework for what the National Park will do over the next five years. It’s therefore the…
Tag: planning
“As part of the plans which will come into effect for the 2017 season, feasibility work is already well advanced at Loch Chon in The Trossachs on land managed by Forest Enterprise Scotland. It is proposed that the picturesque site at Loch Chon will accommodate 30 tent pitches alongside facilities including a fresh water supply,…
Since blogging about the bright blue penstock used in the Glen Falloch hydro schemes at the end of June, I have been intending to write more about the quality of the “restoration” works and here will focus on the dams/intakes that collect the water for the four schemes. In discussing the schemes I will…
Peter Argyle, the convener of the Cairngorms National Park Authority, published a thoughtful blog piece on 19th August promoting the consultation on the new draft Park Partnership Plan and more specifically the need to work “partnership”. While I do not doubt Peter’s good intentions, the reality is that many landowners and some businesses in the…
The claims Natural Retreats provided this photo in their supporting statement to the Cairngorms National Park Authority for retrospective planning application for the new track they created at Cairngorm. If the ground had been restored as well as this photo suggests, the heather would now be in bloom – the reality is rather different. The…
Early in August Scotgold announced it had produced the first gold from its bulk ore processing trial at Cononish goldmine (see Herald). This involves the crushing of ore that has already been extracted from the old mine to see how much gold it contains. The original planning approval for the goldmine did not allow this. …
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…
I have been asking the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority what criteria it would use to decide the planning application it is making to itself for a campsite at Loch Chon. Among the issues is that the Your Park proposals to develop new campsites is not consistent with the Park’s proposed Development Plan…
Poorly constructed and often illegal hill tracks have visually blighted many parts of the Highlands over the past decades. Recent changes in legislation have brought some measure of control to these but ongoing vigilance is needed. Although this is a Scotland wide issue, it is highly relevant to the National Parks. Scottish Environment LINK…
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…
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…
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…
A fair amount of information has come to light in the last three weeks about the LLTNPA’s camping plans which raises serious further concerns about both the adequacy of those plans and the whole camping byelaw proposal. Camping in Strathard It says a lot about the LLTNPA that they have kept their camping…
Dear CNPA, I know that you did all you can to influence the siting of the Beauly-Denny powerline away from the National Park and this was not your decision, but should our National Parks not be able to influence and enforce proper restoration…
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 was out last Sunday taking a look at the Glen Falloch hydro schemes which I had not yet visited. In an earlier post I was very critical of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park for setting out no firm rules about what locations might be suitable for hydro schemes https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2016/05/24/glen-falloch-hydro-schemes-2/ . The…
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…
On Friday I received a response (EIR 2016-018 Response) to the questions I had raised about the proposed north Loch Venachar campsite. This was approved in the Five Lochs Management Plan of 2012 but the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park had failed to deliver it as planned in 2013-14. (For background see https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2016/05/27/disappearing-campsites-loch-lomond-trossachs-national-park-development-plan/.) I…
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…
While I usually visit the Coire Cas carpark at least a couple of times a year to climb or ski tour it was years since I had taken a proper at the Cairngorm ski area. I was prompted to do so with Dave Morris two weeks ago by this photo taken by Ron Greer…
Following my last post on camping provision in the LLTNP https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2016/04/27/con-loch-chon-loch-lomond-trossachs-national-parks-disappearing-camping-plans/ I asked Gordon Watson, the Park’s Chief Executive once again about the outstanding campsites which had been agreed for the Trossachs back in 2012 and to clarify how the Park’s draft Development Plan would encourage new campsites email to Gordon Watson 28th April 2016 …
The Scotsman three weeks ago http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/loch-lomond-and-trossachs-named-top-of-uk-beauty-spots-1-4121929 carried an article on how the National Geographic Traveller magazine had voted Loch Lomond and the Trossachs Britain’s top National Park because of its stunning landscapes and called it a “Scottish Haven”. One wonders if anyone voting has passed through Glen Falloch in the past year and witnessed the…