Access issues

Tina Irving <tinadirving@gmail.com>
   
09:36 (2 minutes ago)
   
to Douglas, NORTH, Graham, Harper
Hi

Thank you for your response.  You are indeed very helpful.  My thoughts are thus, and I am copying Douglas Chisholm of the Highland Council, as I spoke to him last week and he is looking at the matter of the North Highland Way.

1.  Your project is an excellent initiative. EIAs are dealt with within the planning system, but I just found a floating windfarm off Dounreay which it would appear Nature Scot knew nothing about.  (Graham Neville - he is on holiday at the moment)
2.  It does not "fit" with the Highlands and Islands Climate Change Hub well, as they do not understand economics.  I had a long discussion with the Scottish Government about this last week.
3.  There are the Local Place Plans which THC are looking at at the moment.  I emailed Douglas about it this morning.  This cannot be done on voluntary effort.
4.  There is no holistic view of the whole situation in Northern Scotland but there is on Orkney.
5.  There is the matter of the EU Directives on Climate Change and Sustainable Tourism not being met, as they sit with SEPA.  I had a discussion with planning about that some time ago.
6.  There are insufficient resources both within the Highland Council and Highland Adapts, therefore the whole project of NetZero, Adaptation, Zero Waste etc will fail.

As an economist, that is my view.  I have refused to do any further voluntary work.  It is unsustainable.

No doubt Mr. Chisholm will deal with this.  He, like the Access Officer, is a very capable and experienced Council Officer, and, like his predecessor Colin Simpson very approachable.

Meanwhile, the Global Climate Change Week goes ahead. www.tinagostravelling.wordpress.