Community Consultation - Presentation to the Community Council

By invitation of Aviemore and Vicinity Community Council a drop in session and presentation was held on the afternoon and evening of Thursday 24th November 2005. It was advertised in the Badenoch and Strathspey Herald one week in advance and appeared as a main article on its front page on Wednesday 23rd. The meeting was also mentioned on Moray Firth and BBC radio on the 24th.

Fifty-one people attended in all, twenty signing in during the afternoon and thirty-one in the evening. Over the course of the day more than 150 comments were made and many handed in forms with their views.

Further feedback is still very welcome - please submit this through our Survey Form or just write in with your views to Rothiemurchus Estate Office, Aviemore, PH22 1QH.

Ian Malcolm, chair of the Community Council, welcomed attendees. Johnnie Grant introduced the team working on the project and outlined his views of the characteristics that shape this area and its community:

• Our outstanding Environment and Landscape.
• Our History, some good, some miserable, some simply romantic.
• Our Sporting Culture derived from skiing and mountaineering, leading to can-do attitudes, innovation and the desire for achievement through continuous improvement.
• International perspectives resulting from travel.
• An inclusive and welcoming attitude to neighbours and incomers alike.
• Heritage that attracts attention from around the world.

The following aims for the An Camas Mòr proposal were agreed at the evening meeting:

• Care for the nature of the land and the environment.
• Care for family and neighbours.
• Sustainable use of the land.
• Build sustainable communities.
• Build for the future with respect for the past, respect the weather, keep warm and enjoy the outdoors.
• Provide for competition and fun.

The professional team outlined their roles within the forthcoming Environmental Impact Assessment.

Dr. Andy Mackenzie and Howard Brindley provided a brief summary of the technical work that had been done over the last two years. This had identified the various constraints on the site within which the new community must be designed. They confirmed that the site confirmed by The Highland Council in 1997 appeared to be feasible within the terms of reference set by the current local plan. A number of maps illustrating the main elements of this work were on display.

David Sim of Jan Gehl and Partners explored some of their philosophy behind the approach to designing sustainable communities with a respect for human scale. Some initial ideas for approaching sustainable design and tackling housing needs for the community were put forward to stimulate debate.

Detailed discussion took place in the drop in sessions. Principles, such as the need for any housing at all, were given an airing in the evening. At all sessions the public wrote many comments that will help the team consider the different ways of delivering the aims.

Some of the main general themes that emerged included:

• Whether to enhance linkages between the communities either side of the river and if so how best to do this.
• The strong need for genuinely affordable housing that locals can buy or rent.
• The potential capacity of the site and how its opportunities could best be harnessed to ensure genuine long lasting community benefit.

It is important to stress that this session was only one step on the consultative process. A copy of the feedback form has been added to the website at www.rothiemurchus.net for those who would wish to add their views. As the work progresses there will be further opportunity to input into the process. Once these views have been taken into account the team will take on board the comment and will report back their findings and plans in the New Year.

After the meeting Johnnie summed up the day by saying:

"The event was an important step in the process that started in 1989 with the Community vision to take the village across the river. We had a busy day, many people said how impressed they were with the detail and level of information provided. There was a lot of good discussion and written comment about how the new community should look and work. I am looking forward to hearing how Community Council views develop as a result of the presentation and discussion."

• View the Consultation Key Messages Paper