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Public consultations

The Cairngorms National Park Authority National Park Plan consultation has a closing date of 30 June 2006.

The Scottish Executive Rural Group ran a public consultation into the future of National Scenic Areas in Scotland. Consultation Documents. Full article on the consultation.

Our response:

The Scottish Wild Land Group welcomes the opportunity to comment on the above paper.

We are broadly very supportive of the vast majority of the paper. We welcome the proposals to put NSAs on a more formal basis, the enhanced powers, and the focus on management strategies. We believe the protection for Scotland's landscape is very weak and these proposals generally help to improve the protection.

We would urge the Scottish Ministers to consider designating more NSAs, to increase and improve the protection for Scotland's wild places. The review by SNH was first sought, in 1997, partly because of concerns that NSAs were perhaps over-concentrated in the North and West. We feel there is a good case for new NSAs in other parts of Scotland. Time has moved on and development has encroached further into parts of Scotland - so the need for protection on landscape grounds is even more important.

Our main concern is the question of whether to de-designate the parts of NSAs that fall within a National Park boundary. We are very much against this, as we believe that NSAs have a clear focus on landscape, whereas a number of national park policies and approaches tend to be based on what amounts to a compromise approach, which could allow developments to proceed that perhaps may not be approved in a NSA. We have concerns that Scottish National Park Authorities, especially the Cairngorms NPA are not putting landscape and natural heritage as a primary aim, but are having a mix of influences which could dilute the protection of area with high landscape values and scenic areas.

We would strongly urge that NSAs are not de-designated in National Parks, and that NPs are too new a concept and organisation to allow such de-designation to be done so soon. Let us await say, 20 years, to see how the landscape within a NP is protected, and compare the protection for general landscapes versus those protected by a NSA within the NP boundary. Let us act on the basis of concrete evidence, over a good study time frame, not in haste.

In conclusion, we hope this paper will lead to legislation soon, with strong powers, a vision for designating more NSAs and no changes in the short term at least, to NSAs in National Park.

We urge you to consider these matters.

Alistair Cant
Steering Team Co-ordinator
24 April 2006

Cairngorms National Park Authority are developing a new Local Plan.

Our response  Our Conclusion:

We have to admit to being disappointed by the modest approach of the draft Local Plan, and the failure to put landscape, wild land and the protection of core values at its heart. Whilst the CNP Area is a dynamic, evolving locality, the key elements that have given rise to the National Park designation need to be protected and enhanced. The Plan needs to do this with more vigour, decisiveness and robustness.

Whilst we recognise the need for flexibility in many of the lower and settled parts of the CNP area, there is a lack of definitive precision in stating what will be preserved from intrusion and development, in the core wilder and remoter areas.

At root, landscape needs to be at the heart of the plan and we feel it is not, at present.

RWE Npower plc and Grosvenor Estate are proposing to develop an 8MW hydroelectric generation scheme in the Reay Forest area of Sutherland, near Kylesku.

Details and our response - Map (1.1MB) Responses are requested before 28th February 2006. Wild Land News article.

Our Conclusion:

In general we do not support such small scale hydro schemes in wild land, due to the landscape and ecological impacts being relatively significant compared to the very small output generated by the scheme - 8 MW.

Should this proposal develop into a formal application in broadly the current terms, we would be looking to object to it.

Objections to a proposed 42-turbine windfarm for Loch Luichart near Garve must be in by January 27, 2006. The turbines would blight views from some of Scotland's finest Munros including Ben Wyvis, An Teallach, Beinn Dearg and Slioch. See 'A wind farm too far' for more details.

Wind Farms on Lewis - decision time

Members are urged to object to two large wind farm schemes on the grounds of their impact on landscape, visual amenity, rare peatlands and birds. Please write to:
Allan Wilson MSP, Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, The Scottish Executive, 6th Floor, Meridian Court, Cadagon Street, Glasgow G2 6AT.

Modernising the Planning System

The Scottish Wild Land Group Steering Team sees the crucial proposal of 'National Developments' as hugely important to defeat.

Bulldozed Tracks

Tell us which you think is Scotland's worst example?

Bulldozed tracks always figure as one of the most hated intrusions into wild land, whether they cut through a remote glen or across an open hillside. They have often ruined existing paths, are sometimes badly engineered and are even more hideous at close quarters than from a distance. We'd like to know which ones our members would pick out as the worst examples. Please let us know.

Contact Alistair Cant, our Co-ordinator, e-mailing enquiries at-sign swlg.org.uk.

Read our response to this bill. Please write to your MSP or the Executive.

Please see our suggested action on our news page.

Read the SWLG Wild Land News article on this proposal, and the SWLG response.

WLN Summer 2000

Write quoting ref 03000 1978 to Forestry Commission, Woodlands, Fodery Way, Dingwall, IV15 9XB, 01349 862144