Plans for 'formal campsite' by Dulnain Bridge recommended for approval

Plans for seven self-catering cabins, toilet and shower block and a manager’s house by Dulnain Bridge are being recommended for approval.

Mr and Mrs Ronald and Emmeline MacPherson have submitted the plans for land 110 metres south-east of Boat of Balliefurth.

Car parking, a bike store and a refuse and recycling point also form part of the proposal at the edge of Balliefurth Woods.

There have been three letters of objection including one from the Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group,

Concerns include the potential impact on numerous species of birds, otter and hare as well as one the landscape.

Members of the Cairngorms National Park Authority's planning committee will determine the application on Friday when they meet in Grantown.

CNPA planning officer Emma Bryce states in her report: "The applicants consider that being permanently based on the site is integral to the success of the campsite and the running of the wider croft land surrounding the site.

"Their family have owned and managed the Boat of Balliefurth Croft for over 40 years and they and their elderly parents are keen for the croft to be retained in a long-term sustainable use.

"The campsite is currently used by a number of individuals and groups from all over the UK. The proposed development will intensify this use which the applicants suggest will require a level of

management and supervision that justifies them being permanently located there."

Recommending approval, she concludes: "The application will introduce formal campsite facilities onto the site contributing to the provision of further, low cost tourist accommodation within the area whilst complementing the operational and economic viability of the existing croft business.

"Subject to appropriately worded conditions any environmental and landscape impacts will be suitably mitigated against and in the longer term kept to a minimum.

"The development has been sited and designed to respect its setting and the wider landscape character of the site."

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