The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) reports that Dave Thompson MSP has announced a review by the Scottish Government of the planning rules surrounding hill tracks. Currently many such tracks do not require planning permission as they are deemed to be “permitted development” in the same way that many garden sheds and larger agricultural buildings do not need permission. There has been a long running campaign to impose tougher regulations on hill tracks, many of which are seen by conservation and access groups as damaging to the environment.
The MCofS as well as Ramblers Scotland have been actively campaigning for a review, the MCofS commented, “We welcome this long-overdue action, and look forward to inputting to the Parliamentary process to realise greater protection for the upland landcsape from, in practice, largely uncontrolled hill track constrcution in the wider landscape.” The announcement follows a Scottish parliamentary debate into the issue of hill tracks on June 9th.
In a separate development, the MCofS report that the Highland Council have used existing planning powers to ask that an unauthorised hill track be restored to natural habitat. The hill track lies at the foot of Foinaven and because it is in a National Scenic Area it did require permission. The MCofS said it would have preferred the Council to prosecute, stating, “we think there needs to be prosecutions to get land managers to take more notice of the very few restrictions there currently are on hill tracks.”