The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) has joined with the charity, the Cairngorms Campaign, to urge walkers, climbers, mountain bikers, skiers, bird watchers and others who enjoy the Cairngorms to donate funds to help finance a campaign to stop the building of a new town on the outskirts of Aviemore. The MCofS has joined the legal challenge to the decision of the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) to adopt the Cairngorms National Park Local Plan 2010 (The Plan).
The Plan, if implemented, will result in the erection of 1,500 houses at An Camas Mòr on the east bank of the River Spey, opposite Aviemore; a mere 10 km from the summit of Cairn Gorm. The new town will be built on land belonging to the Rothiemurchus estate owned by the Grants. The CNPA has also authorised 450 houses at three further locations within the boundaries of the Cairngorms National Park.
The MCofS and Cairngorms Campaign believe that the initiative for change within the Cairngorms National Park increasingly responds to the interests of commercial developers, in spite of the CNPA’s primary aim being: “to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area”.
The legal challenge follows a Public Inquiry which was held into the Local Plan, including the An Camas Mòr development. Subsequently the two Scottish Government Reporters stated: “the housing land requirement is overly generous in any context, let alone that set by the aims of the (Cairngorms) National Park” and “we conclude that the rationale for the calculation of the housing requirement is unconvincing”. The CNPA chose to ignore these observations.
The appeal for funds is being made by the Cairngorms Campaign, the Scottish Campaign for National Parks and the Badenoch & Strathspey Conservation Group, which believe that the CNPA’s policies should be challenged. A legal challenge against these policies will be made in the Court of Session in January 2012.
MCofS President, Brian Linington, said: “The MCofS is supporting this fundraising campaign because we believe that the CNPA decision in respect of The Plan and specifically these developments is fundamentally flawed. The legal challenge is based on six grounds which argue that the CNPA acted unlawfully or against the findings of the Public Inquiry Reporters.”
At a time when Scotland’s mountains and the Cairngorms National Park itself are under increasing pressure from wind farms and other developments, a new town in the middle of the Cairngorms National Park, with housing which will no doubt be unaffordable by most people’s standards, is an unwarranted impact on the amenity of one of our national scenic areas.”
A spokesman for the MCofS said, “The three organisations taking legal action are small charities with modest resources. The estimated cost of the court case is £50,000 and requires substantial additional fundraising. The charities believe there are many individuals and organisations that care deeply for the integrity of the Cairngorms and who will support this appeal. Further details including how to donate to the campaign can be found at the MCofS website.”