Scotgold Resources Ltd, the company behind the plans to re-open and extend the gold mine at Cononish near Tyndrum, have appealed against the decision to refuse planning permission made earlier this year by the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. The decision on the appeal will now be made by the Scottish Government.
The Australian company behind the plans has recently been undertaking exploratory tests in nearby Glen Orchy, just outside the National Park boundary. The Company says it is hopeful that there might be a way to access this potential source of gold and silver at Beinn Udlaidh, a Corbett 5km from the original site at Tyndrum, popular with hill walkers and winter climbers.
The Tyndrum mine had previously been abandoned as uneconomic in 1997 but recent surges in world gold prices had fuelled interest and exploratory work by Scotgold Resources Ltd. When their planning application was refused the convenor of the Park Authority, Dr Mike Cantlay, said potential economic benefits could not be balanced against conservation concerns, but explained that the application had been a very difficult one to consider with compelling arguments on both sides. The application had previously been described by Fiona Logan, chief executive of the Park Authority, as, “our Beauly-Denny in terms of controversy”.
Mr Cantlay said, “Our main concern lay with the design, scale and visual impact of the waste management facility which would hold 820,000 tonnes of slurry waste.
“At the end of the day, we could not balance the potential economic benefits against our primary aim to conserve and enhance our natural heritage, one of the original reasons for establishing National Parks in Scotland.”
The local community council for Tyndrum was in favour of the application, hoping that long term jobs would be created and tourism given a boost from the sale of Scottish gold products. However the RSPB, and Scottish Natural Heritage and the John Muir Trust had objected to the application on environmental grounds and some tourism businesses where worried that the damage to the enviroment would put off tourists attracted by the landscape and natural beauty of the area.