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 2000 new homes, including 1500 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…

Scotland’s leading environmental and heritage organisations have thrown down the gauntlet to the Scottish Government, challenging it to renew its obligations to conserve, protect and enhance the nation’s landscapes. An alliance of organisations has signed an open letter to the Scottish Government calling for reaffirmation of commitments contained in the European Landscape Convention, and greater progress towards meeting them. The letter, dated 10 January 2011, calls for a clear indication from the Scottish Government that: •A system of monitoring and proofing all new relevant legislation, policy and guidance will be carried out to ensure compliance with the Convention. •Scotland’s Landscape…

An MSP has urged the Scottish Government and private investors to look again at the plans for a ski centre on Ben Wyvis. Easter Ross, Liberal Democrat MSP, Jamie Stone was involved in the plans of the local Council to support the development of a ski centre on the mountain north of Inverness, in the 1980’s. The plans included a mountain rack railway to be linked to an interchange with the Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh main railway line. At the time the plans were not pursued as no public sector capital investment was forthcoming and no private developers came…

Forestry Commission Scotland has put out a plea to birders across the country to help assess woodland bird species in 2011. The call for volunteers comes after a three year effort to get better information on woodland birds recorded in the UK wide Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) organised annually by the British Trust for Ornithology. Gordon Patterson, the Commission’s Biodiversity Policy Advisor, said: “The Commission, together with SNH, provided funding for a professional survey of additional woodland sample areas in Scotland so that we could assess changes in woodland bird populations more thoroughly. “That has been a success: we’ve helped…

The continued cold weather has prompted Scottish Natural Heritage to remind people using the countryside to give wildlife space to feed and survive. Last winter a wide range of species suffered, including common birds such as wrens, dunnock, treecreeper, robin and greenfinch. Barn owls also suffered. If weather continues cold then we will see a similar picture. The frozen conditions means wild birds, particularly those species which rely on wet habitats such as ducks, geese and shore waders, will likely be struggling to find sufficient food to survive. There have been reports of unusual wildfowl behaviour, such as mass movements…