Aberdeen based North East Mountain Trust recognises that the revised draft Designation Order for the Cairngorms National Park does not represent the best options available to serve the interests of the Scottish people.
In order to address this concern the North East Mountain Trust called an Emergency General Council Meeting on 4th December, 2002, in Aberdeen, where the following Emergency Motion was unanimously supported.
(Appended to this Motion are two papers produced by the North East Mountain Trust, with the guidance of experts in planning, to dispel any of the wrecking information that has been dispersed in association with both of the vital issues included in the Motion.)
That this Council resolves to request the Scottish Executive Ministers and Officers, the Scottish Parliament's Transport and Environment Committee and Rural Development Committee, and all MSP's, delay the Cairngorms National Park Designation Order until the following amendments have been made:
(a) AMENDMENT ONE: to give the Cairngorms National Park Authority the same planning powers as already given to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, and as given since 1995 to all National Park Authorities in England and Wales. This includes the South Downs National Park designated by the Westminster Government in late 2002.
(b) AMENDMENT TWO: to include within the area of the Park all land recommended by the Executive's statutory advisers Scottish Natural Heritage.
In the event that the Executive decides not to include the foregoing amendments, the North East Mountain Trust calls on MSPs to vote against such decision of the Executive because the decision would be detrimental to the widest public interest of the people of Scotland and beyond.
If the foregoing amendments are not included, on the regionally, nationally and internationally important issue of a Cairngorms National Park, the public would have been better off without a Scottish Parliament. In the absence of a Scottish Parliament, Labour's pledge to establish Scottish National Parks would have resulted in Scotland coming under a Scottish extension of existing UK legislation on national parks, and hence getting a Cairngorms Park that would be worthy of Scotland and many other countries. So far, the Scottish Executive, Ministers, and Parliament have let Scotland down shamefully by, eg, not adhering to the criteria for National Park designation as listed, by the Scottish Parliament itself, in primary legislation under National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000.
There is still time to set things right. If, however, appropriate action is not taken promptly, the long-term national public interest in the Cairngorms continues to be placed a poor second to very short-term expediency involving a minority of party politicians and such betrayal will not be forgotten.
Papers: Planning powers for a Cairngorms National Park | Boundaries
ENDS
10th December, 2002Please let the webmaster know if there are problems with viewing these pages or with the links they contain.