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Environment and Rural Development Committee

Call for written evidence

Gàidhlig

Environment Committee seeks views on the
Cairngorms National Park Boundary Bill

CENV016/2006 | 22 November 2006

Views on the general principles of the Cairngorms National Park Boundary Bill are being sought by the Scottish Parliament's Environment and Rural Development Committee.

As part of its scrutiny of the proposed legislation, the Committee seeks written evidence on the bill from individuals living in the area and from interested organisations.

The bill seeks to extend the boundary of the Cairngorms National Park to include an area of highland and eastern Perthshire. The bill proposes that the Park should include the Forest of Atholl including the community of Blair Atholl, the Beinn Udlamain mountain group to the west of the A9, and an area around the A93 including Glas Tulaichean and the Spittal of Glenshee (excluding Kirkmichael). 

The bill also proposes consequential changes in the composition of the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

Committee convener, Sarah Boyack MSP, said:

"This bill proposes to extend the Cairngorms National Park with the effect that certain communities in the Blair Atholl and surrounding areas could be included in the Park. The committee is very keen to ensure that it hears from those who would be affected by this.

"The committee has agreed to hold a meeting in Blair Atholl so that it can hear directly from some local people. We would also like to encourage anyone living or working in the Park and the proposed new area to send their views in writing to the committee.”

Call for evidence

The committee will be holding evidence hearings in late January and early February 2007, all of which will be open to the public. One of the evidence hearings will be held in Blair Atholl which is the main settlement in the area concerned. Full details will be available shortly.

Some issues on which respondents may wish to comment include:

• Should this area be included in the Park?

• What would the impact be on people in the areas of Perthshire that the bill proposes to include, and on people in the existing Cairngorms National Park area. For example, what effects would there be on local communities and businesses, tourism, the environment and natural heritage in the Cairngorms National Park.

• What would be the effects on the administration and management of the National Park and the Cairngorms National Park Authority?

In addition, views are sought on the policy memorandum and explanatory notes accompanying the Bill. Respondents are asked to consider:

• How helpful do you find these documents?
• Are the financial consequences of the bill sufficiently clear?
• Do you have any comments on the consultation that John Swinney MSP carried out prior to the introduction of the bill?

BACKGROUND NOTES

The bill is available on the Parliament's website at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/bills/72-CairngormsNP/index.htm

A webpage for the committee’s scrutiny of the bill is available at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/environment/ERDCmteCairngormsBillpage.htm

The bill was introduced to the Parliament on 21 September 2006 . The Environment and Rural Development Committee has been designated as lead committee for stage 1 scrutiny. At stage 1 a subject committee examines the general principles of a bill and recommends to the Parliament whether the general principles should be agreed to. As part of this process, a committee usually takes written and oral evidence from interested parties.

Written evidence should be submitted no later than Monday 22 January 2007 . Evidence should be reasonably brief and typewritten (as a guide, normally no more than four sides of A4). It would be most helpful if responses could be submitted by email to: ERDC@scottish.parliament.uk

Alternatively, responses can be submitted by letter to Jenny Goldsmith, Assistant Clerk, Environment and Rural Development Committee, Room T1.01, The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh EH99 1SP.

Please note that written evidence submitted to the committee is normally published in electronic or paper form, both as a public paper at the meeting at which it is considered, and as part of the committee’s report in due course. We would intend to publish submissions with names and addresses and other identifying characteristics removed. The Parliament operates within the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2001.

If you have any concerns about your submission being public, please discuss this with the committee clerk before submitting it. Late submissions can be accepted only by prior arrangement with the committee clerk. All responses will be circulated to the committee. All responses become the property of the Scottish Parliament and we are unable to return documents.

Please take time to read the Parliament’s policy on the treatment of written evidence by subject and mandatory committees before you submit your evidence to the Committee.

For further information, the media contact is :

Elaine Mitchell Tel: 0131 348 6245
RNID TypeTalk calls welcome
email: elaine.mitchell@scottish.parliament.uk

Jenny Goldsmith, Assistant Clerk to the Environment and Rural Development Committee
Direct Tel: 0131 348 5242 (RNID Typetalk calls welcome),
Email: ERDC@scottish.parliament.uk