Large number of bids for lease to run Badenoch and Strathspey's busiest campsite
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A total of 11 bids have been made to take over the day to day running of the strath's busiest caravan and campsite.
Amongst the applications made by the noon deadline on Thursday (August 11) to take over Glenmore campsite on the shore's of Loch Morlich is a community bid.
Aviemore and Glenmore Community Trust hopes to take over the operation and return profits to developing the business and other community projects.
Trust chairman Duncan Swarbrick said: "We have put together a strong tender with robust costings and plans and aims. I am confident that we have put in the very best tender which we could make.
"We engaged Savills, surveyors, to prepare reports and assist us preparing a tender for the campsite who have particular expertise in this field.
"We have some exciting proposals for low impact development in the short to medium term which we hope could broaden facilities and help with some of the challenges which have grown around Loch Morlich and the surrounding woodland over the last few years.
"We have been overwhelmed with the positivity and support of locals from Glenmore and the wider area and local businesses.
"We are grateful for the support and encouragement of many public and private bodies including HIE, Cairngorms National Park Authority, and Wildlands Ltd.
"If our tender is successful we intend to build on all of this support to create something really special for both the local communities and visitors."
Trust co-ordinator Kirsty Bruce said: "Our tender has been submitted and if successful if would mean that any financial gains from the campsite are held by the community, reinvested into the site and into the protection of the Glenmore area.
"We have our fingers crossed.
"We are really encouraged by the level of support we have received since announcing our intention to bid.
"A sense of community is important to us and AGCT would work with the residents and businesses of Glenmore to manage the site in a way to protect their peace and privacy.
"We would also look to work closely with key stakeholders such a FLS and the CNPA to work to ensure that both the community and visitors have enjoyable access to Glenmore."
Local or national operators are being sought to look run one or more of its three Camping in the Forest sites with a lease term of 15 years.
A FLS spokesperson said: “We have had 11 submissions from parties interested in leasing the Glenmore campsite.
“The offers will be reviewed over the course of the next two weeks and assessed on several criteria before we will be in a position to revert to the parties.”
The agency declined to comment further on interested parties.
The other locations are at Cashel campsite on Loch Lomond side and Cobleland near Aberfoyle.
FLS bought out the businesses from the Camping and Caravanning Club who had created bad feeling in Glenmore when they refused to reopen the site after the Covid lockdown had been lifted in summer 2020.
The decision prompted a spate of problems including dirty camping, anti-social behaviour and littering as the beauty spot was inundated with stay-cationers.
