Fly tipping is becoming an issue for the National Trust for Scotland at its 2,500 hectares Balmacara Estate.
The Trust has discovered two significant locations where all kinds of household, and sometimes commercial, waste has been dumped with waste on one of the sites ending up in a water supply used for livestock.
According to the Trust, the dumping has been building up over the years despite the site being cleared at least twice previously with the cost of the current clear up exceeding £6,000. The Trust believes the culprits are people in the community not tourists or visitors and says it will send any evidence it can obtain to the police to seek prosecution.
The Highland Council is in the process of producing a new Highland Local Development Plan and at the end of January 2025 will be inviting new development site bids which will be considered for inclusion in the new plan.
In the meantime, the public is being consulted on a list of the information the Council believes is necessary to assess the suitability of any new site bid. The consultation period will run up until 3rd January after which the Council says it will take account of all comments received and finalise the list prior to its use during the formal Call for Development Sites stage. The list on which the Council is consulting can be found on the Council’s website.
A survey of the condition of paths in the Torridon area has started giving user groups the chance to make recommendations for future maintenance and upgrades. The project, launched last week, has been instigated and will be managed by Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland, part of Scottish Cycling, and is funded by NatureScot through the Better Places Green Recovery Fund.
With landowner permission and supported by experienced mountain bike guides, a professional path contractor will survey the paths to establish their condition and highlight any areas where erosion is occurring and look at the impact of use, including mountain biking, and erosion mostly through water damage. A similar survey is also taking place on Skye.
