Four conservation charities – Buglife, the Scottish Campaign for National Parks, the Badenoch & Strathspey Conservation Group and the Cairngorms Campaign – have united to launch a legal appeal against plans for large new housing developments in the Cairngorms National Park.
The charities are objecting to the creation of a new town of 1,500 houses at An Camas Mor near Aviemore, and a near doubling of the size of Kingussie as well as other housing developments in Carrbridge and Nethy Bridge. They have now launched an appeal to ‘Safeguard the Cairngorms’ – aiming to raise £30,000 to help fund the legal appeal.
Bill McDermott, 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 inquiry 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.”
Craig Macadam, Buglife Scotland Director said “To consider developing on these sites without proper assessment of the potential adverse impacts on wildlife is unacceptable. The proposed development sites are home to Scotland’s rare and endangered wildlife.”
Gus Jones, Lead spokesperson for Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group said “We want to safeguard the treasured landscape of the Cairngorms National Park for future generations.”
The group say they need to raise £30,000 to cover the costs of the appeal to ‘Safeguard the Cairngorms’.
Website: Safeguard the Cairngorms