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The objectives of the Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group are to stimulate public interest in, and care for, the beauty, history and character of Badenoch & Strathspey; to encourage active conservation of the area through wise use; to encourage high standards of planning and architecture in harmony with the environment.

Registered as a Scottish Charity SC003846.

Cairngorms NP IUCN Category

IUCN Protected Area Management Categories classify protected areas according to their management objectives. The Cairngorms National Park was designated in 2003 the IUCN Protected Areas Category: 5 - Protected landscape (sustainable development area).

Road Sense granted Protective Expense Order

Details: Written by Administrator; Category: Debates; Published: 21 January 2011

Roadsense who are challenging the legality of road building decisions in Aberdeen have been granted a Protective Expense Order of £40,000.

See BBC News: Road Sense wins Aberdeen bypass legal cost victory, the Court of Session opinion and the Road Sense Press release.

Strathspey considered last caper stronghold in Britain

Details: Written by Administrator; Category: Birds; Published: 19 January 2011

The capercaillie is on the UK red list of birds of high conservation concern, BTO Bird Facts:
http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob3350.htm

SNH have now rightly emphasised the importance of woodlands in Strathspey for the survival of this magnificent bird in Scotland, see The Scotsman article: http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Capercaillies-on-brink-of-extinction.6692483.jp

Media Coverage of Legal Challenge to CNPA

Details: Written by Administrator; Category: Debates; Published: 11 January 2011

Legal challenge lodged to Scots national park local plan
planningresource.co.uk, 13 January 2011 (free registration required)
The plan supports the building of 1,900 new homes in the Cairngorms National Park, including up to 1,500 in a new community at An Camas Mor near Aviemore, and was adopted in November. But the Scottish Campaign for National Parks (SCNP), the Cairngorms Campaign and Strathspey Conservation Group ...

Threat to 1,500 new homes scheme
Press and Journal, 12 January 2011
Environmentalists launch major legal challenge to controversial cairngorms proposals.

Park plan faces legal challenge (PDF link)
Strathspey and Badenoch Herald, 12 January 2011
A LEGAL challenge has been mounted in Scotland's highest civil court against the first Local Plan for a Scottish national park.

Legal challenge to Cairngorms housing plans
Walk Highlands, 12 January 2011
Plans for massive new housing inside the Cairngorms national park could be sunk by legal action being brought by three Scottish based environment groups in the Court of Session.

Legal challenge to Cairngorms national park local plan
glasgowwired, 11 January 2011
Environmentalists have launched a legal challenge to housing developments planned for sites in the Cairngorms National Park.

Legal challenge to Cairngorms national park local plan
BBC News, 11 January 2011
Environmentalists have launched a legal challenge to housing developments planned for sites in the Cairngorms National Park...

Huge Cairngorms Housing plan faces court challenge

Details: Written by Administrator; Category: Press Releases; Published: 11 January 2011

Plans for massive new housing inside the Cairngorms national park could be sunk by legal action being brought by three Scottish-based environment groups in the Court of Session.

The groups are challenging the Cairngoms national park authority's housing plans which provides for over 2,000 new homes, including 1,500 at An Camas Mor, near Aviemore, which, it is claimed, would be the largest housing development in any UK national park.

The Cairngorms Campaign, the Scottish Campaign for National Parks, and the Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group are also challenging developments at Grantown-on-Spey, Nethy Bridge, Carrbridge and Kingussie.

The park authority has shared responsibility for planning, and the three are arguing that the authority's housing allocations are so large and environmentally damaging that the authority is failing in its legal duty to "conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area".

Bill McDermott, the groups' spokesman who is also chairman of the Scottish Campaign for National Parks, said: "The park authority has been acting as the developers' friend. It should be a conservation agency not a development agency.

"There was a public local enquiry into the park authority's Plan, and we felt natural justice was ignored when the park authority failed to follow the Reporter's recommendations.

"We're fully aware of the need to house local people, and have well-balanced communities with homes for young people who couldn't otherwise afford to live in the park. But the authority will trash the park the way they're going. Theirs is a recipe for masses of holiday homes, and social incohesion."

ENDS

NOTES:

More info -
Bill McDermott 01456 450397 or 07754 990325
or Robert Maund 01505 682447

Scottish Campaign for National Parks www.scnp.org.uk

Cairngorms Campaign www.cairngormscampaign.org

Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group www.bscg.org.uk

The Scotsman letter: Park concerns

Details: Written by Administrator; Category: Debates; Published: 10 January 2011

A letter published in The Scotsman of 10 January concerning the decision by the CNPA not to follow the advise of planners on the Davall application in woodland at Boat of Garten.

The failure of the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) to refuse planning permission for circa 70 houses in a native pinewood important for capercaillie and red squirrels at Boat of Garten (your report, 8 January) should cause concern to all who cherish the wildlife and scenery of the Cairngorms National Park.

There are three aspects to this lamentable decision. Firstly, despite clear strong advice from the CNPA planners, officials and natural heritage staff, a majority of the board members chose to ignore several of the policies in their own recently-adopted local plan, and the first aim of the national park, as well as previous decisions of Scottish Government reporters.

Secondly, the excuse for this failure was (not for the first time) poor quality advice from Scottish Natural Heritage concerning capercaillie, which suggested, in the face of reason, that it might be possible to reduce to an acceptable level the recreational disturbance caused by building a housing estate in the wood.

Thirdly, this pinewood is owned by the huge Seafield Estate, which has refused meantime to consider releasing land elsewhere that could provide the relatively small number of dwellings to satisfy local demand.

I had hoped that the days of small communities being blackmailed into maximising the profits of large landowners and large developers, by being forced to accept far larger developments than needed, would have passed with the formation of the National Park. In contrast, the CNPA appears to have acceded to the wishes of landowners and developers at the expense of natural heritage and communities, and the disastrous consequences of such negligence of its statutory duties are now beginning to be revealed.

ROY TURNBULL

Nethy Bridge
Inverness-shire

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The Cairngorms Need Your Help

In 2015 The Badenoch & Strathspey Conservation Group celebrated 40 years of speaking up for nature in the Cairngorms. Our efforts have helped ensure that this world class landscape still provides a refuge for Scotland’s rarest and most iconic wildlife, like Scottish wildcat, capercaillie, red squirrel and freshwater pearl mussel. Unfortunately both the outstanding scenery and wildlife that make the Cairngorms so special are increasingly threatened and are costly to defend. Please make a donation to our work today and help protect these treasured landscapes and their wildlife.

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See our An Camas Mòr photos on our Flickr.