Community event planned for Aviemore

Community event planned after resident feedback shapes new proposals for making Aviemore more cycling, walking and wheelchair friendly.

A community drop-in event will take place on 19 April at Aviemore Community Centre, where proposals for making it easier to get around Aviemore by walking, cycling or using a wheelchair will be on display. The Park Authority continues to work on transforming how people get around in the National Park as part of the Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030 programme. The programme is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players and Places for Everyone, an active travel infrastructure programme funded by the Scottish Government and administered by Sustrans.

During 2022, the project team held in-person and online consultations with people who live and work in Aviemore. The team received more than 600 thoughts and ideas from the community and these ideas have shaped the proposals which will be presented on 19 April.

Colin Simpson, Head of Visitor Services and Active Travel at the Cairngorms National Park Authority said: “Thank you to the Aviemore community for getting involved and providing more than 600 ideas and comments so far. This feedback helped us to understand key problems and opportunities in Aviemore for walking, cycling or using a wheelchair.

“The project team have created proposals based on the ideas and feedback received, and we look forward to meeting up with people in Aviemore in April to chat through these proposals and get their views.”

The drop-in event will take place at Aviemore Community Centre on Wednesday 19 April from 2 pm to 6.30 pm.  People can drop in anytime to find out more and leave comments. Feedback can also be sent by emailing [email protected] and by visiting our dedicated Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030 website.

These events are part of a series of community feedback events to be held this year in the National Park, with more planned for Braemar, Ballater, Blair Atholl and Killiecrankie, along with other projects to change and improve the way people get around in the National Park. In addition, drop-in events in Boat of Garten, Carrbridge, Dulnain Bridge, Nethy Bridge and Newtonmore took place in February.

In July 2021 The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded up to £12.5 million for Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030, a programme led by the Park Authority and over 45 committed partners. Its aims over the next five years are:

• To put local people at the heart of decision-making
• To work with land managers to restore and enhance landscapes
• To make getting around the National Park easier, safer, and greener
• To foster healthier, happier communities with wellbeing at their heart

To help shape this work, views have been gathered from people who live, visit and work in the National Park. Over 30 community events and workshops have taken place and more than 1,200 responses have been received online. The Park Authority is currently pulling together all findings from the last 12 months into a final proposal to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. If successful, the next stage of the programme will kick off in January 2024. To see how you can get involved and to sign up for updates check out our project website cairngorms2030.commonplace.is