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Works without permission lead to ancient woodlands loss on Badenoch estate





Members of the Cairngorms National Park Authority's planning committee will consider the application tomorrow.
Members of the Cairngorms National Park Authority's planning committee will consider the application tomorrow.

Two retrospective planning applications by a Badenoch estate are being recommended for approval by Cairngorms National Park Authority planners.

In one case they admit the excavation of a borrow pit on Balavil Estate would not have been allowed if it had not already been dug.

They have told members of the CNPA’s planning committee ahead of their meeting tomorrow in Grantown that the resultant loss of the ancient woodland is ‘irreparable’.

But planners say imposing a high quality tree planting scheme to compensation for the loss of the nationally important habitat will secure ‘the best possible outcome’ available.

The other retrospective application is for the repair and upgrade of an existing hill track on the estate around two miles north-east of Kingussie.

Balavil estate is currently carrying out a woodland restoration and regenerative landscape management programme.

The first application site is a pre-existing historic borrow pit located in the southwest corner of the Croftcarnoch forest plantation.

It is largely surrounded by ancient woodland and the excavated material has been used for the upkeep of the tracks being used for the restoration project.

However, the CNPA’s own ecology officer has highlighted that the borrow pit and surrounding area are part of the Ancient Woodland Inventory.

Colin Bryans, CNPA senior planning officer, points out that the resources which were once on the site have been lost.

He states in his paper: “The (ecology) officer requests that any grant of planning permission is subject to a condition requiring the submission of details of compensatory planting; species planted, number planted and a maintenance schedule to monitor the success of planted trees…”

A timescale of two years has been put on this planting work.

Approval is also being recommended for retrospective work for the upgrade and widening of 800 metres of pre-existing estate 4x4 access track.

The track runs north west from the main spinal estate road and is located north of Craeg Bhuidhe woodland and north west of Luachair Mhor.

The route is used frequently by estate vehicles to access remoter parts of Balavil’s land.


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