YOUR VIEWS: Forestry and Land Scotland have let down the public over Carbisdale land sale
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Forestry land at Carbisdale
So, here we are a few weeks after Forestry and Land Scotland agreed to sell forestry land to Carbisdale Castle and what are we seeing? Exactly what the community feared would happen and why on three occasions the community of Culrain and Ardgay rejected Samantha Kane’s proposal to buy forestry land.
Despite her assurances of no gates and no fences, no obstruction of the right to roam, the first gate was put in place last Wednesday. Oh, how Forestry and Land Scotland have let down the public, how misguided their judgement, how naive of them to think selling land to her was in the public interest.
Have we gone back in time that we allow the wealthy landowner perks and privileges that are not in the best interest of the people of Scotland?
M Martes, Ardgay
‘Good luck, Ms Kane’
I rarely enjoy a letter in the Northern Times as much as the one by R Sciurus in your last edition. It was hyperbole at its best. I tried, in vain, to envisage squirrels, pine martens, deer and assorted birds, all currently living together in harmony and calling this area home, all crammed into some four acres/hectares of hillside, being brutally displaced by a ruthless landowner. There’s a Walt Disney film there waiting to be made!
Now, I have no idea as to the parish pump politics of Ardgay and environs, but I’ve known Carbisdale Castle since the early 60s, used to go to dances there when the Irish showbands were in vogue. I’ve also been there several times since and while it was built for all the wrong reasons, it’s still a formidable building and worthy of saving. So I’m glad it appears to have been rescued from the fate that has overtaken so many of its kind in the past century.
I have no personal knowledge of Ms Kane, but I instinctively support anyone who will sacrifice the time and money required to give this building a future. I watched its decline, the disastrous water ingress, the withdrawal of the SYHA, the sale of the statues and fittings, the knockdown asking price and yet no-one seemed to appear who would take on what is a gargantuan task.
So, good luck Ms Kane. And, if it offers employment in the longer term, in an area not overendowed with work choices, then all to the good.
We need far more people in the Highlands prepared to inject substantial capital into projects and we should encourage anyone prepared to do so. Some will succeed, some will fail, but if no-one tries, nothing happens (and then people complain!). Remember, people come and go, but the asset remains within the community. Think positive!
David Morrison, Dundee
Council tax on second homes
While I fully understand the reason for the 200 per cent council tax on second homes, for me this is incredibly sad. My family has owned my home since 1949 when it was my father’s surgery and garage. After my parents’ death my husband and I refurbished it to be our retirement home. Sadly he was killed six months prior to retirement and as our children and extended family all live in the south of England I felt I was not able to retire alone without support to Bonar. Since then we have continued to visit very regularly with family and indeed the next generation.
I contribute to the local economy shopping, employing gardeners, builders and housekeepers, have written books, and run exhibitions about the history of the village and am a key source of information about social history within the village, and am currently working on another local project. I am a regular contributor to two Kyle of Sutherland Facebook pages and I am sure could find plenty folk who would testament to my contribution to village life.
It is so sad for me that aged 77 my access to my family home and my past life and much that I hold dear in life should be threatened by my inability to pay double council tax in addition to the expense of maintaining a second home. Local authorities are given discretion to charge up to 200 per cent council tax for second homes and it is sad for me that the Highland Council has opted for the maximum amount with no negotiation, as I am obviously happy to contribute something extra for the community.
My parents, grandfather and husband all lie in the Creich cemetery where of course there is space for me, both daughters and a son in law to go when we die. That my life in my home should stop now is of great sadness.
Sarah Horne, Blackburn/Bonar Bridge
SSEN pylon scheme
Tourism is a big part of income in the Highlands. People come here for the peace and tranquillity and the views of mountains, lochs and big skies. Also the activities of fishing, canoeing, walking, cycling, photography, etc. These pylons are massive, they will detract from the views and peace of the Highland scenery.
We chose the Highlands to make our home because we loved the scenery, the quiet, the beauty, all of this will be gone if these pylons are built on this route. This will no doubt deter people from visiting the east side of the Highlands. The wildlife will also be affected, especially birds. The energy companies target the Highlands because their thinking is that it is sparsely populated and there will be no objections to their plans.
Hopefully we can prove that people do live here and care passionately about their environment and surrounding countryside and persuade them to find an alternative to this horrendous plan.
June Lawson, Lower Brora
