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…