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CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY
Formal Board Paper 2 Annex 4 25th November 2022
Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Plan
[Please note that annexes to this Plan which are mentioned here (and highlighted) will be attached as part of final Plan preparation and are not presented here]
Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Plan
2023 — 2028
Introduction
Tourist numbers have seen steady growth since National Park designation in 2003. In 2019, the Cairngorms received an estimated 2 million visitors for the first time. Alongside that, visitor satisfaction rates had also climbed with an average satisfaction score of over 9⁄10. Visitors were also more likely to be attracted by National Park status, with 55% saying that it was an important factor in their decision to visit. Although most visitors were repeat customers, there was an increase in both first-time and overseas visitors.
The Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns changed everything, as it did for destinations around the world, as we attempted to address the twin challenges of the sudden collapse of the visitor economy and increased post-lockdown footfall at key countryside sites. This led to a range of issues including parking congestion, toileting and high levels of informal camping. This led to measures such as the establishment of a National Park Authority Ranger Team for the first time but has also emphasised the need for a strategic approach to investment in tourism infrastructure.
Aim
The Aim of this plan is to develop a more strategic approach to investment in, and maintenance of, tourism infrastructure in the Cairngorms National Park for the period from 2023 to 2028
Objectives
- Develop a clear picture of existing tourism infrastructure provision across the National Park
- Identify pressure points or gaps in provision on either a site specific or issue wide basis
- Identify and prioritise tourism infrastructure improvement solutions
- Develop identified opportunities/projects to “shovel ready” stage
- Develop a strategic approach to facility and path maintenance and upgrades
- Develop appropriate data gathering and asset management systems to support future management of tourism infrastructure.
This plan has been prepared to add value to the National Park Partnership Plan 2022 – 2027. The plan will serve the function of an internal management tool to prioritise local investment and to assist in directing CNPA resources but is the recognised strategic plan for the Park against which future bids for Rural Tourism Infrastructure funding applications can be assessed. The plan will therefore also include a number of investment priorities that will be taken forward by partner organisations.
The plan will help identify a number of potential projects predominantly at visitor pressure points and give broad cost estimates. This will provide an agreed list of strategic priorities that can support funding applications by both CNPA and partners as well as facilitating quicker delivery of projects as further funding becomes available.
Background
The Cairngorms National Park
The Cairngorms is the UK’s largest National Park at 4,528 sq km (6% of Scotland’s land mass) and is home to one quarter of the UK’s rare and endangered species. Around 18,000 people live in the National Park across the areas of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Highland, Moray, Perth and Kinross, with
two million visitors enjoying this special place every year. Indeed, the visitor economy is more critical to the Cairngorms National Park than anywhere else in rural Scotland, accounting for 30% of the economy (GVA) and 43% of employment in the area.
[Image: Cairngorms National Park Map]
The National Park has four distinct aims as set out by Parliament:
- To conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area.
- To promote sustainable use of the natural resources of the area.
- To promote understanding and enjoyment (including enjoyment in the form of recreation) of the special qualities of the area by the public.
- To promote sustainable economic and social development of the area’s communities.
These aims are to be pursued collectively. However, if there is conflict between the first aim and any of the others, greater weight is given to the first aim to help ensure conservation of the natural and cultural heritage underpins the economic, social and recreation value of the Cairngorms National Park.
The Cairngorms National Park Authority helps coordinate the activities that help achieve these aims with the vision and overarching strategy for managing the National Park in the strategic “National Park Partnership Plan”.
Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan
Launched on 23rd August 2022, the National Park Partnership Plan sets out how all those with a responsibility for the National Park will coordinate their work to tackle the most important issues in the period from 2022 – 27. In particular, the Plan:
- Sets out the vision and overarching strategy for managing the National Park.
- Guides the work of all public bodies and other partners to deliver the aims of the National Park.
- Provides the strategic context for the Local Development Plan.
- Is the Strategic Regional Land Use Framework, Regional Spatial Strategy, Climate Action Plan and Capital Investment Strategy for the National Park.
- Is the Economic and the Sustainable Tourism Strategy for the National Park.
The document is arranged in three sections: Nature, People and Place with each section setting out the outcome that we want to achieve by 2045 (the year Scottish Government has committed to achieving net zero) as well as a series of long-term objectives and a set of actions and policies for the next five years. The National Park Partnership Plan is supported by a number of action plans that will help to deliver the objectives of the plan and the National Park aims.
[Image: Hierarchy of Plans Diagram]
This Tourism Infrastructure Plan provides additional detail on the National Park’s tourism infrastructure needs and the associated priorities that will primarily deliver against the People and Place themes. However, it should be noted that the interrelated nature of the different elements of the National Park Partnership Plan mean many actions will have impacts across all three themes.
Principal Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan Objectives & Actions related to Tourism Infrastructure Development
| Objective | Actions |
|---|---|
| B5. Increase the number of assets in community ownership or management, the number of social enterprises that generate a profit and the area of land where communities are involved in management decisions. | • Support communities to acquire and manage assets / land through enhanced funding and training support |
| B10. There will be better opportunities for everyone to enjoy the National Park and the visitor profile will be more diverse, especially with regards to people who are disabled, from lower socio-economic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ and from minority and ethnic groups. | • Develop targeted support programmes to overcome specific barriers to enjoying the National Park, including looking at business and infrastructure capacity |
| C5. Work to stabilise visitor numbers in the peak season, focusing growth on quieter months and on those areas that have the infrastructure and capacity to accommodate additional visitors | • Develop a Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Plan to provide high-quality infrastructure at key visitor hotspots and for key sectors (e.g. camping and motorhomes). |
| C9. Welcome visitors and provide a high-quality experience while managing their impacts through providing better infrastructure and high-quality ranger services. | • Develop and implement a new Cairngorms Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Plan, Active Cairngorms Action Plan and Tourism Action Plan |
Our Visitors
Around 2 million people visit the Cairngorms National Park every year from all over the world with more than half of the visitors coming from within Scotland, 25% from elsewhere in the UK and 21% international visitors from around the world. Over half are motivated to visit by the landscape and scenery.
Once here the most popular activities are:
- Sightseeing — 61%
- Low level walking — 57%
- Visiting attractions — 45%
- Photography, videos and social media — 28%
- High level walking — 18%
- Cycling — 13%
- Winter sports — 8% and
- Wildlife activities — 5%.
[Image: Activities Chart]
In terms of getting about once here, 91% use a private car or motorhome for some or all of their journeys with only 6% using public transport, 24% walking and 5% cycling.
[Image: Getting About Chart]
Visitor satisfaction is generally extremely high, however areas consistently highlighted as needing improvement include provision of more public toilets and better public transport.
An Accessible National Park
The National Park Partnership Plan lays out a vision for a National Park that is genuinely welcoming to individuals of all backgrounds and abilities; that supports thriving, diverse communities; and that works for both nature and people. Integral to this is creating visitor infrastructure that removes or minimises barriers to access.
Around a fifth of adults living in Scotland have a long-term illness, health problem or disability, which limits their ability to participate in outdoor recreation. By addressing infrastructure issues such as availability of accessible toilets, clutter free pavements, accessible public transport and providing barrier free path networks, the intention is to remove or minimise disadvantage such that more people are more able to enjoy the National Park.
Although the Cairngorms already has some of the best path networks in Scotland, there is still work to be done to make more of them accessible to all. Many otherwise accessible trails have built in barriers such as some styles of gates, boulders or gates across entrances, steps to bridges or soft sections that preclude wheeling.
[Insert 3 image Strip montage – new facilities at abernethy, rock barrier on path, active bike/trike?]
Availability and accessibility of public toilets continues to be an ongoing issue throughout the Park with dated infrastructure that often does not match today’s expectations. Many are provided and maintained by Local Authorities, but they are increasingly using third party comfort schemes to fill the gaps in provision. The CNPA will continue to work with partners to develop solutions to improve provision at key locations and support initiatives to develop fully accessible, year-round facilities and changing places toilets.
All proposals for new, upgraded or maintenance of infrastructure through this plan will be subject to an equalities impact assessment to identify realistic options for improving accessibility for people with protected characteristics. The practical solutions will vary depending on the project and availability of funding, but common options for exploration are likely to be:
- All abilities path surfacing
- Visual or textural guides on paths and within car parks
- Removal of physical barriers such as steps, slopes, stiles or awkward gates
- Provision of additional benches on paths where less mobile users are anticipated
- Installation of accessible bus stops and platforms
- Installation of or upgrading existing toilets to “changing places” toilet standard
- Installation of e‑bike charging points
- Electric vehicle charging that incorporates suitable disabled parking and charging units that are fully accessible.
Our Nature
[Insert landscape image or small block montage of mountain, forest, species]
The Cairngorms National Park contains some of Scotland’s most iconic nature and landscapes. It contains 9 National Nature Reserves and four of the five highest mountains in the UK can be found here. Nearly half of the land in the National Park is considered ‘wild land’ and 49 per cent of the park has been recognised as being of international importance for nature and is protected. There are 19 Areas of Conservation, 12 Special Protection Areas and 46 Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the Park. Over a quarter of the UK’s rare and threatened species are found here including 80% of the capercaillie population.
As part of any infrastructure development, due consideration will need to be given to the impact that it may have on nature – both the natural environment in the immediate area but also wider impacts in relation to the current climate emergency and biodiversity crisis. To ensure such impacts are minimised a series of guiding principles will underpin any proposals for tourism infrastructure developments.
[Insert a map – eg LDP 21 Fig 8 page 47 — designations covering the CNP]
Guiding Principles for Tourism Infrastructure Development
In proposing infrastructure solutions to tourism pressures, there are a number of overarching principles that should be applied to any project. The climate and nature crisis is the single biggest challenge that we face, and it is critical that the Cairngorms National Park is an exemplar in achieving net zero through projects that deliver solutions to the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis.
Firstly, any plans for infrastructure development should follow the Scottish Government’s Infrastructure investment hierarchy which specifies that priority should be given to maintaining and enhancing existing assets over new build.
[Image: New Scottish Government Investment Hierarchy Chart]
At a more local level, the National Park Partnership Plan also identifies five guiding principles for capital investment in the National Park:
- Green: Infrastructure will contribute to delivering net zero and strengthen the natural and social capital of the National Park.
- Cairngorms: Infrastructure will focus on the needs of the National Park and will contribute to the long-term outcomes as set out in the Partnership Plan.
- Employment: Infrastructure will maximise local employment and support the development of a wellbeing economy.
- Long-term: Infrastructure investment will be focused on long-term solutions to key issues around visitor management, transport, flood management etc.
- Equalities, diversity and inclusion: Infrastructure will help to ensure that the Cairngorms is a Park for All.
In delivering any tourism infrastructure developments we will also ensure that: -
- Any development meets the policies set out in the Cairngorms Local Development Plan
- Any infrastructure development should be of the right scale, as well as being at the right location and with the right design. A facility should not be bigger than it needs to be and should be designed so it fits well with its surroundings.
- Any development is prioritising the potential of active travel, minimising the potential of car journeys as far as possible
- Any development should be respectful of the environmental carrying capacity of the site and immediate area most notably any disturbance or fragmentation of habitats that might be caused.
- Any development is respectful of the physical carrying capacity of the site by considering the number of visitors a site can reasonably welcome at any one time.
- Any development is respectful of the social carrying capacity of the site – i.e. developed, as far as possible, in partnership with the local community, to consider opportunities for communities to benefit from the facilities created including, where appropriate, the option of community ownership.
Investment in Tourism Infrastructure
Recent visitor pressures and the need for investment
Over the last decade or so, a new phenomenon has been the emergence of the Instagram or Trip Advisor effect whereby locations can suddenly become overnight “must visit” destinations through the promotion, planned or otherwise, by 3rd parties such as influencers. The Fairy Pools on Skye are the most obvious Scottish example of this but within the National Park, visitors to Lochan Uaine at Glenmore and Prince Albert’s Cairn on the Balmoral Estate (known as the Balmoral Pyramids) have dramatically increased due to social media promotion. This “instant popularity” is difficult to predict and CNPA and partners will need to remain nimble in responding to emerging infrastructure issues that are created as and where they may emerge.
The summers of 2020 and 2021 were unprecedented in terms of changes to visitor behaviour and distribution across the National Park. A combination of circumstances, including lockdown easing and the desire from visitors to experience the outdoors and nature, put significant new pressures on certain locations and highlighted key pressure points or gaps in provision. These challenges, which can negatively impact on local communities as well as the visitor experience included:
- Congestion, particularly on dead end roads,
- Capacity issues with car parks and campsites,
- Overspill parking such as on verges,
- Limited public transport and active travel options in many areas
- Availability (or not) of public toilets,
- Concentrations of informal/“wild” camping at particular locations
- Environmental damage due to cumulative impacts of large numbers of people as well as direct damage from activities such as campfires
- Public health issues around toileting or motorhome waste disposal
- These issues were often exacerbated in areas that were close to main transport routes i.e. trunk roads and easily accessible from large population centres.
A return to more normal travel patterns, including the resumption of more overseas travel and many domestic events such as music festivals occurred in 2022 which helped reduce pressures. However, the ongoing effects of social media promotion, the “discovery” of new locations such as the Cairngorms by domestic visitors during the pandemic (to which some will return) and a continuing rise in the numbers of electric vehicles, new motorhomes being registered and the numbers available for hire suggest ongoing investment will continue to be required.
The Cairngorms National Park Authority undertake visitor surveys every five years and the data from the 2019 survey (and comparisons with earlier surveys) also give an indication of visitor’s levels of satisfaction with the infrastructure provided for them.
What could be improved?
[Image: Ratings Chart]
Management of Visitors
Addressing many of the pressures described above requires a mix of more immediate solutions and longer-term investment. Many of the immediate activities such as ranger patrols, communications activity around appropriate behaviour and temporary parking or toilet facilities can be considered as mechanisms to assist with the “management of visitors” and these activities are documented in an existing Managing for Visitors Plan. The purpose of the Managing for Visitors Plan which is coordinated by the CNPA but delivered by a range of partners is to:
- Identify particular rural “hot” and “warm” spots that need particular attention and/or support
- Provide a warm welcome and support exceptional experiences for the public to enjoy the outdoors while mitigating any negative impacts from increased numbers at popular sites
- Reduce potential conflict between residents and visitors
- Promote collaboration across estate and organisational boundaries
- Improve the range of advice and access to this advice to promote good behaviour and reduce the impacts of irresponsible activity such as fires or wild toileting.
- Address small scale maintenance of sites
The Managing for Visitors Plan 2022 for the National Park is available here and attached as Appendix 1. It is anticipated that this approach will continue with more immediate activities that are typically addressed through deployment of staff defined in future Managing for Visitors plans while priorities for longer term capital investment in infrastructure are defined in this infrastructure plan.
Defining “Tourism Infrastructure”
As much of the infrastructure used by visitors is also used by residents in their day-to-day activities and because some provision is informal rather than formal it can be difficult to define exactly what
“tourism infrastructure” is. For the purposes of this plan, the following principles have been used to help define tourism infrastructure: -
- The facility should be primarily aimed at or used by visitors — including day visitors. General infrastructure which is more widely used by residents or businesses such as roads or waste & recycling centres are excluded.
- The facility must be publicly available — typically this will mean provision is by local authorities, communities, public sector partners such as Forestry & Land Scotland or NatureScot or NGOs such as National Trust for Scotland or Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
- Private sector provision that isn’t related to being a customer of the business – for example a rural car park provided by a privately owned estate for use by the public when accessing the countryside can be considered tourism infrastructure but those such as a hotel or visitor attraction car park provided primarily for their paying customers would not.
- Facilities are also included where a formal arrangement is in place to give access to non-customers such as toilets in the recognised comfort scheme partnerships supported by Highland and Perth & Kinross Councils or Electric vehicle charge points that are publicly available through the ChargePlace Scotland network.
| Facilities included in the plan | Facilities NOT included in the plan |
|---|---|
| Rural car parking including roadside laybys or informal parking areas where these are used by visitors for an extended stop where the occupants park to undertake an activity away from the vehicle e.g., at the recognised start point for a hill walk. | Parking in larger settlements where a combination of formal car parks and on-street parking give adequate provision Car parks provided for the paying customers of a commercial business |
| Dedicated overnight parking for motorhomes | Commercially operated caravan and camping sites |
| Standalone motorhome waste disposal facilities Motorhome waste disposal facilities on commercial sites actively promoted as being available to non-residents | Toilets in the premises of a commercial business provided only for their customers |
| Public toilets | |
| Electric Vehicle charge points* | |
| Path and cycle networks and their associated signage Cycling infrastructure including Bike parking / shelters Bike racks Public e‑bike charging Ranger bases & visitor information shelters | Footways and pavements that form part of the public road infrastructure |
| Cairngorms National Park entry point markers on road, path and at Train stations The Snow Road Scenic Route viewpoint installations: — “Still” |
- “The Watchers” and
“Counting Contours”
Although not necessarily dedicated “tourism infrastructure” Electric Vehicle (EV) charge points are included in recognition of the importance that having a good network of charging points is in giving visitors the confidence to visit and in recognition of the net zero ambition that underpins the National Park Partnership Plan.
Previous Investment in Tourism Infrastructure
Over the past 15 years there has been significant investment in tourism infrastructure and facilities across the National Park by landowners, the National Park Authority, partner organisations often with the support of funding from sources such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund. While the CNPA does not actually own or manage any of the land within the National Park, it does have a key role in supporting the provision of facilities that enhance the visitor experience through partnership project development, coordination, financial support or funding acquisition.
In recent years investment has included built facilities such as improved and upgraded ranger bases and visitor centres, the extension of the Speyside Way as well as a number of other paths and trails as well as projects such as improved toilets at Loch an Eilean outside Aviemore and new parking in Glen Muick near Ballater and at Clarack, Dinnet.
A map of the most recent infrastructure improvement works supported by the CNPA can be found at Appendix 2.
The Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund
The Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) was established in 2018 by the Scottish Government and the Fund is managed by VisitScotland on its behalf. RTIF is designed to support collaborative projects which focus on improving the visitor experience in rural parts of Scotland that are facing pressure on their infrastructure and communities as a result of visitor numbers. There are two core elements in the RTIF criteria that describe the main objectives for tourism infrastructure projects: -
- Alleviating existing or anticipated visitor pressures — As a result of previous or anticipated increases in visitor numbers, there is a visitor and / or community pressure point which is likely to continue and needs to be addressed.
- Provision of a quality visitor experience – projects should provide high quality visitor facilities and infrastructure that lead to a positive impact on the local landscape and visitor economy while accommodating visitors with a wide variety of access needs.
To enable a more strategic approach to visitor infrastructure development and greater alignment with the objectives of Scotland Outlook 2030 and the new National Strategy for Economic Development, the RTIF criteria also require any actions proposed to meet a strategic need or address a gap. Priority will therefore be given to actions identified in a series of Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Development Plans (of which this plan will be one).
Three of the recent investments in infrastructure referred to above and in Appendix 2 have been funded through the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund: -
- Improvements to the car parking and toilet facilities and provision of waste disposal facilities at Muir of Dinnet.
- Active Glenmore, which provided pedestrian links between car parks, visitor attractions and accommodation to improve safety and access.
- Replacement of the toilets at Glenshee with new, fully accessible toilet facilities and showers with 24 hour / 365 day access, a grey and wastewater disposal point for motorhomes, new cycle facilities and an Electric Vehicle charge point (funding awarded but project not yet completed).
Getting to and around the Cairngorms National Park
How people get to and move around the Cairngorms is going to be one of the biggest changes and challenges in the National Park over the coming years as we seek to achieve our net zero and visitor management objectives. To achieve this there will be less use of private cars in future and a need to look at improved public transport to cater for visitors getting to and around the National Park, as well as site-specific solutions for key areas such as Glenmore.
There is a need to ensure that work in the National Park follows the hierarchy set out in the National Transport Strategy that promotes walking, wheeling, cycling followed by public transport and shared transport options in preference to private car use for the movement of people. Strategic targets include significantly increasing the proportion of visitors that arrive by public transport, increasing active travel and public transport usage once here and reducing the proportion of short journeys made by car.
Arriving in the National Park
Although walking, wheeling and cycling sit at the top of the transport hierarchy, the distances involved for most visitors coming here will tend to exclude these options for most, so the focus on influencing journeys to the National Park will tend to be on public transport.
While the public transport services and behaviour change activity to encourage increased use of public transport as a means of getting to the National Park are beyond the remit of this infrastructure plan, there is a role for this plan to identify infrastructure within the National Park that will support this change.
As many visitors coming into the National Park by public transport, particularly those coming for longer stays are likely to arrive in one of the towns or villages there is a need for an appropriate sense of welcome at rail stations and bus arrival points in these communities. Some elements of this welcome are quite modest such as the signs in railway stations indicating to the visitor that they have arrived in the National Park, but other more significant infrastructure may be required to help improve the visitor experience such as improved arrival facilities, local maps, information about onward travel, access to e‑bikes or shelter for those waiting to depart.
Encouraging more visits by public transport may also require additional infrastructure at locations outside these main communities such as rural bus laybys, associated shelters and service or location information. This will be particularly important in encouraging those coming into the National Park on day trips to do so by public transport and as such is primarily this is expected to be along the A9 corridor between Killiecrankie / Blair Atholl and Carrbridge and in Deeside where existing services allow day visits by public transport.
Despite local and national efforts to encourage more use of public transport or active travel options, it is recognised that for the foreseeable future many people will continue to arrive in the National Park by private car. However, an increasing number are likely to arrive by electric vehicle (EV) – and there is a consequent need to provide a suitable network of EV charge points. Proposals for these facilities which will also support people getting around the National Park are described in more detail on page 19.
All road and National Cycle Network entry points to the National Park are marked with a granite monolith or boulder to provide a sense of welcome to visitors and rail stations have National Park welcome signs on the platforms. While these are not intended to be specific stopping points, some are likely to see some visitors who come by car or cycle stopping for photographs. This has implications for the CNPA in terms of the ongoing management and maintenance of the markers, and this is covered in the section on managing Cairngorms National Park Authority Assets on page 31.
Getting around the National Park — Active Travel
One approach designed to reduce use of private cars in future, particularly for shorter journeys in and around communities is to increase levels of active travel. While much of the focus on active travel is commonly based on the needs of local residents, there are many instances where investments would be equally useful to visitors. The size of the towns and villages within the National Park lend themselves particularly well to visitors getting around without a car to access businesses such as accommodation, shops, cafés, restaurants, attractions and activities as well as travelling between communities & nearby attractions.
The CNPA is looking to investigate and develop solutions to increase the levels of active travel through the National Lottery Heritage Fund supported Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030 programme. The development phase incorporating consultation and feasibility studies is under way and due to complete by June 2023. This will be followed by a delivery phase from late 2023 until 2030 which aims to connect communities with safe walking, cycling and wheeling active travel infrastructure and sustainable transport options which will benefit the 2 million annual visitors. The aspiration is that the Cairngorms National Park will become a rural exemplar for sustainable and active travel.
While the Heritage Horizons work will define more precisely what infrastructure is required and where, the current consultation is seeking to identify the need for facilities including: -
- New active travel routes
- Improvements to existing infrastructure to make them more suitable for walking, cycling and wheeling e.g. dropped kerbs or safe crossing points
- Bike parking / storage
- E‑bike availability
- E‑bike charging
- Route signage and related information on active travel routes
It is anticipated that most of the active travel priorities that will emerge from the Heritage Horizons consultation activity and subsequent options appraisal process will be focussed on routes within or immediately around communities as this would likely satisfy resident’s most routine needs. In many cases this would also satisfy many visitors’ needs but the nature of two unique visitor destinations suggest some particular active travel improvements from the nearby communities might be warranted — Glenlivet Bike Trails and Laggan Wolftrax. As visitors are going there to mountain bike and many will be doing so on their own bikes this is a market that could easily be encouraged to use bikes to travel to the destination if the right infrastructure was provided.
Although primarily considered as longer, leisure cycling routes, the two routes through the National Park currently or previously recognised by Sustrans as part of the National Cycle network – NCN7 from Killiecrankie to Carrbridge and NCN195 (Deeside Way) from Aboyne to Ballater can also be considered to form strategic links between a number of communities. Where sections of these routes could be improved to facilitate visitors moving around using active travel options these upgrades would warrant classification as tourism infrastructure improvements.
Active Travel Infrastructure Priorities
| Location | Various | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Current issues / ambition for the location / need for investment | Limited good quality safe and well signposted / publicised facilities that allow visitors to access key visitor destinations by active travel methods (walking, cycling, wheeling). | ||
| Ownership | Various owners | ||
| Project summary | The Cairngorms 2030 Heritage Horizons project will deliver a range of active travel networks and improvements to existing facilities within, and in some cases between, communities around the National Park. Current development work under way with contracted consultants will identify priorities and subsequently designs for these but available funding is likely to mean some routes aimed at visitor use cannot be provided through this initiative so further tourism infrastructure investment would be warranted. | ||
| Output | Scale | Expenditure (Rough Estimate) | Additional Information |
| To be defined through Heritage Horizons consultations and reporting | TBC | £ TBC | Heritage Horizons development stage work will identify anticipated costs |
| Estimated total cost | £ TBC | ||
| Project delivery | |||
| Anticipated project lead | CNPA | ||
| Delivery partners | Sustrans, Local Authorities, Transport Scotland | ||
| Permissions required | Landowner Lease | Planning Permission | |
| How does the project help address the climate and nature crises | Improving the infrastructure that supports active travel will encourage more people to travel around the Park by walking, cycling or wheeling. Much of this is anticipated to be improvements to existing infrastructure so impacts on nature should be minimal. Any new routes will need to be designed to avoid sensitive habitats and should be designed to provide new habitats through landscaping. | ||
| Potential improvements to accessibility | Good design should allow routes to provide additional benefits to those who are less mobile through providing well graded, well surfaced routes that can also be used for leisure purposes. | ||
| Potential barriers | To be identified through Heritage Horizons work | ||
| Potential match funding sources | Local Authorities, Transport Scotland, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Sustrans — part via Heritage Horizons programme | ||
| Future revenue streams | None identified as new infrastructure would become part of public sector managed roads and / or path infrastructure | ||
| Timescale | 2024 – 2028 |
Getting around the National Park — Public Transport
Most public transport in the National Park is focussed on two linear routes – the A9 road corridor and Deeside. While the former gives a selection of both rail and bus options these are largely designed around the needs of people travelling through the area between Inverness and Perth / Edinburgh/Glasgow so stops can be limited or times less convenient for more local journeys. Further services on a roughly hourly basis connect Aviemore with communities further down the Spey to Grantown-on-Spey while similar frequency services operate along the Dee between Aberdeen and Ballater with alternate services continuing to Crathie and Braemar.
Beyond these routes public transport is limited and, where it does exist, fairly infrequent with many services based around school times so often unsuitable for visitor use. With the exception of those between Highland Perthshire and Badenoch & Strathspey, direct connections between different visitor areas within the National Park are non-existent.
As described above under “arriving in the National Park” the public transport services themselves are beyond the remit of this infrastructure plan, but there is again a role for this plan to identify infrastructure within the National Park that will support increased use of those services that do exist such as improved shelter for travellers.
As with active travel routes, the CNPA Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030 programme is in the middle of the development phase of a sustainable transport project with options expected by June 2023 followed by a delivery phase from late 2023. This project is seeking to develop ways that enable people to travel more sustainably and reduce car dependency in the Park including ensuring active travel facilities are integrated with public transport provision, making sustainable multi-modal journeys an easy and attractive option. This is anticipated to require investment in public transport infrastructure but specific projects will only be defined once the development phase is complete. However, where any individual tourism infrastructure projects are being taken forward consideration will be given to the inclusion of associated infrastructure that supports public transport at the time of the initial work to avoid the need to retrofit any further infrastructure.
A second Cairngorms 2030 Project is looking specifically at a sustainable transport plan for the Glenmore corridor which is widely acknowledged as the area of the National Park facing the most significant transport and parking pressures. Although formal proposals are yet to be developed improved public transport services and a related need for supporting infrastructure are anticipated to be part of the solution as is outlined in the project brief: — “Deliver a comprehensive sustainable public transport service, make active travel easy and an attractive option and reduce vehicle journeys between Aviemore and Cairngorm Mountain.” Projects that deliver the longer-term solution required will only be fully defined once the development phase is complete and may then take some time to be delivered. In view of the level of pressures at this location, some additional work is required to address the worst issues in the shorter term, and this should include public transport improvements.
Public Transport Infrastructure Priorities
| Location | Various | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Current issues / ambition for the location / need for investment | Limited public transport options that allow visitors to access key visitor destinations by public transport. Gaps in the infrastructure that supports the operation of public transport services or the integration between public transport and active travel. | ||
| Ownership | Various owners | ||
| Project summary | The Cairngorms 2030 Heritage Horizons project includes a suite of projects intended to deliver better public transport services across the National Park and to integrate these better with other sustainable transport modes. These include an overarching “Sustainable Transport in the Park” project which looks at identifying longer term needs (through to 2045) and two location specific projects — Upper Deeside Active and Sustainable Travel and a Glenmore Transport Plan. Development work is currently under way with contracted consultants who will make recommendations on the services and infrastructure priorities that should be implemented. As development work is under way, it isn’t possible to give precise details of the required infrastructure in this plan but once priorities are identified it is anticipated that some will include a requirement for further tourism infrastructure investment. | ||
| Output | Scale | Expenditure (Rough Estimate) | Additional Information |
| To be defined through Heritage Horizons consultations and reporting | TBC | £ TBC | Heritage Horizons development stage work will identify anticipated costs |
| Estimated total cost | £ TBC | ||
| Project delivery | |||
| Anticipated project lead | CNPA | ||
| Delivery partners | Local Authorities, Transport Scotland, Transport providers | ||
| Permissions required | Landowner Lease | Planning Permission | |
| How does the project help address the climate and nature crises | Improving the infrastructure that supports public transport services |