Sunday, June 20, 2010

Pre-Determination Committe hearing for Rannoch project

A beautiful old Rannoch Pine in the Blackwood. The forest has probably looked pretty much like this since the last Ice Age.
 I went along with my brother and sister to this hearing about a proposed development at Dall on Loch Rannoch. It was delightful to hear the developer dig his own grave deeper with every word he spoke as he answered questions. He was trying to include part of a beautiful ancient woodland, the Blackwood of Rannoch, as part of a "brown field" site in his plan for an exclusive resort for "multi-billionaires" complete with two golf courses and a cosmetic surgery clinic. His description of the village of Kinloch Rannoch as "dead" and his vision of how it would be much improved by visits from Lady Gaga and other such "multi-billionaires" just became ludicrous...The whole thing was voted out by a huge majority.

Insane as the whole project might seem, local people were very worried that it might go ahead somehow - including my sister who has a cottage there, which we used to go to for wonderful family holidays as children. In fact our connection with Rannoch goes back even further, my Mum's family used to go there when they were children.

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