Performance Committee - June 2024

This document contains a memo outlining the schedule for the Planning and Performance Committee meetings on 14 June 2024, held in the Spey and Dee meeting rooms. The day includes tea and coffee, a Planning Committee session that will be live-streamed, authorisation of planning enforcement action, an informal discussion about town centre health checks, lunch, and a Performance Committee session. Members can join a Microsoft Teams breakout room to discuss amendments and should notify the Convener or Chief Executive in advance if they wish to raise any other business. Apologies can be sent to [email protected] or by telephone.

This document contains the agenda for the Cairngorms National Park Authority's Performance Committee meeting on 14 June 2024 at 1pm in Grantown on Spey. The meeting will cover welcoming attendees and apologies, approving minutes from the previous meeting, discussing matters arising, and declarations of interest. Specific discussion items include the "Bring Back Beavers" project, the Cairngorms 2030 Quarter 1 2024 report, and the Cairngorms Capercaillie Project. Information will be shared regarding the delivery of statutory duties from the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, and the Cairngorm and Glenmore Strategy 2016. The next meeting date is scheduled for 20 September 2024.

This document contains the draft minutes of the Performance Committee meeting held at the Cairngorms National Park Authority office on 8 March 2024. Attendees included Kenny Deans (Convener), Steve Micklewright, and Grant Moir (CEO), among others. The meeting covered action points from previous meetings, updates on the Cairngorms 2030 delivery phase, and the Cairngorms Peatland ACTION programme, including discussions on funding and green finance opportunities. The committee also discussed agenda items for future meetings and scheduled the next meeting for 14 June 2024, before adjourning at 3.25pm.

This document contains an update on the "Bringing Beavers Back" project in the Cairngorms National Park. The Cairngorms National Park Authority has been working on reintroducing beavers to the area and is providing support to landowners and communities. They have released beavers into the Upper Spey catchment, are monitoring their activity, and have set up groups like the Cairngorms Agricultural Advisory Group (CAAG) to help share information and manage any issues. The Park Authority is also taking steps to protect trees and working with estates to create beaver trails. According to senior managers, there are currently no matters of strategic significance that need further action.

This document contains an update for the Cairngorms National Park Authority (Park Authority) Performance Committee regarding the Cairngorms 2030 project, covering the period from January to March 2024. It highlights that the Park Authority and the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) have agreed to a five-year delivery phase contract, officially launched by Scotland's First Minister and other ministers in February 2024. The document details progress in restoring landscapes with £3 million secured for peatland restoration, advancements in woodland expansion and nature recovery, and near-completion of staff recruitment. There's also mention of Sustrans Places for Everyone Funding, health and wellbeing initiatives, and various communication activities. The document also covers governance meetings, cash flow management, and procurement activities, with a conclusion that project plans and governance procedures are functioning well and no significant delivery risks were identified during this period.

This document contains information for the Performance Committee on the Cairngorms National Park Authority's (Park Authority) delivery of its legal duties under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. The Act gives the public rights to access most land and inland water. The Park Authority has a duty to promote these rights and manage local access. The Park Authority engages with the public through things like school visits, public events, and publications that promote the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. The Cairngorms Local Outdoor Access Forum (LOAF) advises the Park Authority on access issues. The Park Authority has a duty to uphold access rights. There has been an increase in reported cases of obstructions to access rights, like locked gates, over the past year. A review of the Core Paths Plan is scheduled to begin in 2025.

This document contains information about the Cairngorm and Glenmore Strategy 2016, prepared by Colin Simpson, Head of Visitor Services and Active Travel. It highlights the high concentration of visitors and related pressures in the Cairngorm and Glenmore area within the National Park. The document discusses the purpose of the strategy, which is to update members on the delivery of actions from the 2016 strategy and to consider the Park Authority's role in coordinating these actions. The document recommends noting the progress made and considering a short-term action plan. It also touches on stakeholder engagement, strategic risk management, and the background to the 2016 strategy, as well as current changes and future proposals for the area including an asset transfer of the Glenmore Visitor Centre to the Aviemore and Glenmore Community Trust in November 2024. A summary of progress towards the 2016 objectives is also given.

This document contains the final report on the Cairngorms Capercaillie Project, prepared by Andy Ford, Director for Nature and Climate Change. The Performance Committee is asked to agree that the project has successfully delivered its approved purposes, note its key achievements and learnings, and consider strategically significant issues with project legacy planning. The project has entirely achieved its plan outputs, even exceeding quantitative targets with only a few exceptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has also enabled the delivery of actions in the Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan (NPPP) 2023-2027, and the project's activities will enable actions in the Corporate Plan (CP). The project has improved capercaillie habitat, engaged communities, and contributed to scientific understanding of capercaillie ecology. The project has grown into a diverse partnership, engaging over 25,000 people and resulting in the UK's first community-led action plan for capercaillie. The project has successfully delivered its approved purposes and secured project achievements in legacy planning.

This document contains the minutes from the Cairngorms National Park Authority's Performance Committee meeting held on 8 March 2024. The meeting covered several topics including updates on the "Bringing back beaver's project", risks under management within the Cairngorms 2030 programme, delivery of statutory duties under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, the Cairngorms and Glenmore Strategy 2016, and the final report on the Cairngorms Capercaillie Project. The committee discussed the various updates, raised questions, and made observations and the next meeting was scheduled for 20 September 2024.