In an unprecedented move, as MSPs return to their constituencies for the summer parliamentary recess, eight organisations concerned with conservation, wild land and access to the countryside have jointly issued an open letter calling for greater protection for Scotland's landscapes.
Leaders of the organisations – The Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland, the John Muir Trust, the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, the Munro Society, the National Trust for Scotland, Ramblers Scotland, The Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society and the Scottish Wild Land Group – between them representing over 350,000 members, welcome moves by the Scottish Government and Scottish Natural Heritage to safeguard Scotland’s landscapes but say that their existing proposals do not go far enough: “We support the increased protection proposed for National Parks and National Scenic Areas, although this merely formalises the present de facto position.
“Such protection should apply also where development is proposed beyond their boundaries that would impact on the very qualities they were established to safeguard.”
In the letter, the organisations also question whether or not the wording of the draft Scottish Planning Policy and National Planning Framework is tight enough:
“The current draft states that (in National Nature Reserves, wild land and other important areas) wind power developments will be acceptable ‘where it can be demonstrated that any significant effects on the qualities for which the area is identified can be substantially improved by siting, design or mitigation.’
“This will allow inappropriate developments to be approved because of lack of clarity in using subjective words such as ‘significant’ and ‘substantially’ when set against the primacy afforded in government policy to economic and energy development.”
The organisations also raise concern that local democratic processes may be undermined by national-level decision-making: “If local authorities and their electorates think particular local landscapes are important then this should not be over-ridden nationally.”
Speaking on behalf of the eight organisations, the Chairman of the National Trust for Scotland, Sir Kenneth Calman said: “As MSPs return to their constituencies over the summer we hope that all, whether in Government or opposition, give serious consideration to the landscape around them and what it represents for the people they represent.
“Recent surveys, such as the one undertaken by the John Muir Trust and one conducted by my own charity, show that a majority of Scots are very greatly concerned about the future of our wild land and local landscapes. This is why we have come together to put our names to this open letter – our landscapes need better protection and this is what the people of Scotland want.
“Our iconic landscapes are key to our economic and environmental future and our collective wellbeing – they must not be sacrificed to over-development through oversight or short-term thinking.”