Hi,

 

Even though the best of summer is now behind us with the mornings feeling a little cooler, visitors are still coming into the Park to discover the delights of the outdoors and work here at the National Park remains as busy as ever.

 

Our planning team has been particularly busy with a number of significant planning applications, some of which have attracted considerable media coverage, both locally and nationally and provided plenty of debate.

 

Planning in a National Park is often a controversial subject which generates strong emotions both among those directly involved and also among a wide variety of interested third parties. And, much of the time, it is the planners who end up being portrayed as the “bad guys” due to some of the very difficult decisions they have to make. This is regretful because, without exception, the National Park planners are an extremely professional, dedicated and skilled group of people, committed to delivering the highest quality public service.

 

This is particularly brought into focus when a planning application is centred around some of the most stunning scenery the entire Park has to offer - exactly the type of scenery which embodies why the National Park was formed in the first place. Such a difficult decision was typified by the recent outcome of our Board meeting in Tyndrum, at the far north of the Park, where our officers recommended - and Board members voted for - refusal of planning permission for a gold mine. While we undoubtedly have a duty to encourage rural development - and the potential benefits from this proposal may have been significant – it is clear that when in a conflict, our conservation aim must take precedence over our economic aim. 

 

But it’s not just our Planning team who’ve had their hands full. Within the conservation remit of the National Park’s work, our teams remain very active with a diverse range of projects on the go. We’ve recently had our Core Paths Plan approved by Scottish Government and we’re now able to make this available by a fully-interactive map on this website, something which will hopefully prove to be a well-used resource. Also, a variety of landscape projects continue to progress including the construction of an impressive new bridge at Bracklinn Falls by Callander which is rapidly taking shape.

 

Our Ranger teams remain very active and visible right across the Park, carrying out numerous different activities as well as generally helping visitors by providing assistance and often reassurance. Our presence on the water is also still in high demand with our patrol boat a common sight on Loch Lomond, again providing reassurance to the wide variety of loch users we have, not to mention coming to the rescue of copious stranded mariners!

 

At Headquarters, the planning and roll-out of our “ScottsLand” programme of events, centred in and around the Trossachs, continues with some great feedback from locals and visitors alike. Also, our communities teams continue to work closely with every one of the 22 communities in the Park at varying levels.  Much of this hard work often goes unseen but is incredibly valuable as it is the communities within the Park which are fundamental to everything we do. Add to this the fact that Loch Lomond & The Trossachs is proudly playing host to the annual conference of all UK National Parks in September and you can see how active we all are in looking after and promoting this special place.

 

It’s a privilege to work in this truly outstanding part of Scotland and I look forward to reporting on more significant achievements over the coming months.

 

Warm regards