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Cairngorms

CNPA welcomes funds for Cairngorms projects

27th June 2012

News that the Scottish Government is ploughing £1million into Scotland’s National Parks has been welcomed. The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) is set to receive £488,000 for a variety of projects covering outdoor access, improved visitor facilities, river habitat improvements and renewables.

£223,000 will deliver a range of new paths around communities across the Park including Carr-Bridge, Kingussie, Bellabeg, Braemar and Glen Clova. The funding from Scottish Government to deliver improved paths is great news and the CNPA is working closely with colleagues in the Cairngorms Outdoor Access Trust to get the work underway as soon as possible.

Bob Grant, senior outdoor access officer at the CNPA said: “Providing better paths increases the economic potential of communities, helps land managers and provides attractive places for people to walk, run, cycle and horse ride so this is a very welcome announcement.”

£100,000 is for the community of Boat of Garten to create a focal point in the village for visitor information. The station square, next to the community garden, has been chosen as the location, being central to the village and easily accessed by motorists, walkers, cyclists and visitors using the steam train. The project has been developed by the community and includes a complete refurbishment of the square and the installation of information and interpretation about the village and the Cairngorms National Park. The centre piece of the square will be a spectacular, and eye catching, five metre high sculpture of an osprey feather – a celebration of the ‘Osprey Village’.  This funding from Scottish Government means that the community will be able to realise their ambition to create a vibrant information hub inspiring visitors to explore and enjoy the village.

An investment of £75,000 to bring forward work to restore river processes, enhance habitat and water quality in two significant tributaries to the River Dulnain has also been successful in securing funding. Contributing to the Spey Catchment Management Initiative – and the ambition to expand woodland in the Park – the work will see riparian woodlands established, fencing to manage stock and provision of interpretation.

Strategic Land Use Director for the CNPA Hamish Trench commented: “The National Park’s rivers are some of its greatest assets benefitting communities in the Park and of course many more people living further downstream, so we particularly welcome this additional investment.”

The money committed by the Scottish Government will also go towards repairing footbridges over streams close to the Spey as part of the Aviemore Community Park project (£10,000) and a biomass boiler for the CNPA’s Grantown offices in order to demonstrate a lead in using renewable energy (£80,000).

Read the Scottish Government press release