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YOUR VIEWS: ‘We must shout loudest for short term lets curbs’


By Gavin Musgrove

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I urge all residents of Badenoch and Strathspey to respond to the current round of consultation on Highland Council’s implementation of new Short Term Letting controls.

Local Highland councillor Bill Lobban has worked very hard to push the process this far so please exercise your right to comment.

I know this is all very boring but just moaning about all the holiday lets will not count and your views will be ignored.

The process wants your views and comments on proposed planning rules which will be applied when the Control Areas legislation comes into force.

The new regime will require all Short Term Let operators in Badenoch and Strathspey to have appropriate planning permission.

The proposals are far from perfect but they seem to indicate that most smaller houses and flatted properties will not be granted permission for use as Short Term Lets, subject to various more detailed provisions.

I fully support the intention of the proposed policy in re-balancing the demands of the community against business interests.

Highland Council is also seeking views on whether the same rules should be applied across Highland Council region.

I think that is essential to avoid moving the same problems around the wider Highlands.

If you feel responding is all too much trouble, be aware that the Short Term Let lobby have succeeded in getting proposals changed to suit their agenda at every stage of the Control Area legislative process.

They will not stop now.

Democracy at this level favours whoever shouts the loudest, so shout out for Badenoch and Strathspey.

The current consultation can be found here: https://www.highland.gov.uk/info/20021/short_term_lets/1033/short_term_let_control_areas/3

The consultation period ends on Friday 3rd February, so don’t delay and lose your chance.

Martin Johnson

Boat of Garten.

* * *

Stars of the squeeze box... when Phil Cunningham (right) met Bertie Cooper.
Stars of the squeeze box... when Phil Cunningham (right) met Bertie Cooper.

Bertie was a star of the accordion

Bertie Cooper was a legend on the accordion (Bertie: a true Newtonmore ambassador, Past Lives, Strathy, January 5).

He played at St Vincent’s Hospital in Kingussie many a time for the elderly patients and staff.

He was a friend to us all.

I remember going to see him in Newtonmore many years ago when (his wife) Marjorie wasn’t so well in the days when I did home care.

He was just a lovely kind gentleman who always had a smile on his face.

Rest in peace, Bertie.

Morag MacDougall

Aviemore.

* * *

Spey Dam Control House Southerly section of the Spey Dam. This dam impounds the headwaters of the River Spey, this water being transferred westwards to join Loch Laggan and, ultimately, taken to the power Ssation near Fort William. The section of the dam seen contains sluice gates through which compensation water is released.
Spey Dam Control House Southerly section of the Spey Dam. This dam impounds the headwaters of the River Spey, this water being transferred westwards to join Loch Laggan and, ultimately, taken to the power Ssation near Fort William. The section of the dam seen contains sluice gates through which compensation water is released.

Spey energy can be met by couple of wind turbines

I fear that, unusually, Charlie Whelan is understating the problem when he suggests that the Spey Dam should be removed to restore water to the River Spey.

As we heard during the Badenoch Heritage Festival the Spey River Board estimates that because of abstractions for the Lochaber aluminium works and SSE hydro electricity the flow of the river at Kingussie can be be reduced by around 60 per cent – and some 85 per cent of the flow of the upper 12 miles of the Spey is captured by the Spey Dam, and no salmon have been recorded there recently.

Moreover the headwaters of the Spey on the Mashie are completely diverted to the Lochaber scheme, and most of those of the Tromie Cuaich and Truim to Loch Ericht for SSE use.

Water flows in the lower Spey can be reduced by almost 25 per cent at Fochabers as a result.

As some 90 per cent of all Spey abstractions come from these sources the Spey River Board is understandably campaigning for their mitigation in its ‘Release the Spey’ campaign (see their website).

It points to their adverse effect on resistance to pollution, on water quality , on ground water reserves, on riverine habitat generally, and, of course, on salmon and other wildlife.

Yet the net benefit to Lochaber and SSE of the current schemes is marginal and could if necessary be readily be replaced by a couple of wind turbines (which need not be in Badenoch!).

Surely the time has come to listen to the river board – and indeed to Charlie Whelan – and put the environment before profit.

By the way, I am not a fisherman.

Peter Mackay

Dunachton Road

Kincraig.

* * *

One common root for failures in our society

Charlie Whelan’s complaints about the Spey Dam, affordable housing, our railway, the NHS and the gender recognition bill in last week’s Strathy (January 5) have a common source.

It is government.

The high level of water abstraction from the Upper Spey Catchments is controlled by SEPA (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) who licence the GFC Alliance to abstract water when water levels are low.

SEPA licence the SSE Tummel Valley Scheme to abstract water from the rivers Tromie and Truim with no compensation flow on the tributaries to these rivers.

The lack of affordable accommodation to let in the Cairngorms National Park follows changes in legislation around 2017 that abolished Short Assured Tenancies and discouraged landlords from letting domestic accommodation long term.

The situation is exacerbated by the park authority’s promotion of tourism as the dominant industry to sustain our economy.

The lack of investment and competent management of our railways and the dismantling of what was once one of the most extensive and comprehensive railway systems in the world are the results of decisions made by government.

Investment and governance of the NHS is the responsibility of government. The time spent by our politicians and civil servants on the gender recognition bill is a decision made by our government.

Our government can resolve all these issues. Perhaps we should look at improving the competence of those in government.

Jamie Williamson

Alvie Estate Office

by Kincraig.

* * *

Blowing up the dam would be madness

The suggestion that the Spey Dam be demolished is foolish (Whelan’s World, January 5).

In August 1829 there was exceptional rainfall which caused the ‘Great Flood’ of the Spey and Findhorn areas.

The gardener at Huntley lodge recorded 3.75 inches on the day of the 5th. A record by the rector of Inverness Academy recorded 8.5 inches for the month.

Recently there has been serious flooding in Deeside.

There is no doubt weather storms are becoming more frequent and violent as a result of global warming, and that this trend will increase.

In the last two centuries we have added innumerable houses and other buildings.

The effect of these is to accelerate the run-off of precipitation thus increasing the risk. of flooding.

The Spey Dam abstracts 20 per cent of the flow of the Upper Spey and so reduces the risk of flooding downstream. This may explain why Strathspey has avoided the flooding of the Dee. Keep the dam.

Duncan Stewart

Wester Dalvoult

Boat of Garten.


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