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CAIRNGORMS NATION­AL PARK AUTHOR­ITY Plan­ning Com­mit­tee Agenda Item 5 Appendix 2B 24/05/2019

AGENDA ITEM 5

APPENDIX 2B

2018/0350/DET

SUP­PORT

Vis­it­Ab­er­deen­shire

Rachel Gray Dir­ect­or Blackbyre Devel­op­ments Itd Home Farm Bal­lo­gie Aboyne Aber­deen­shire AB34 5DT

23 August 2018

To whom it may concern,

I would like to endorse the plan­ning applic­a­tion which has recently been sub­mit­ted by Rachel Gray of Blackbyre Devel­op­ments for full plan­ning per­mis­sion for erec­tion of 12 tour­ism accom­mod­a­tion ​“lodges” on land at Cor­garff, Aberdeenshire.

Tour­ism is one of the key eco­nom­ic drivers to the North-east eco­nomy and invest­ment in new products and ser­vices for vis­it­ors is fun­da­ment­al in help­ing the region achieve its ambi­tion for tour­ism spend to be worth £1bn per year by 2023. Invest­ment in new products and ser­vices is vital to allow us to real­ise our poten­tial, increase vis­it­or num­bers and grow the value of tour­ism to Aber­deen and Aberdeenshire.

This pro­ject builds upon the exist­ing accom­mod­a­tion, attrac­tion, activ­ity and nat­ur­al land­scape products and act as a draw for vis­it­ors to base them­selves in rur­al Aber­deen­shire. The pro­vi­sion of high qual­ity accom­mod­a­tion will increase the attract­ive­ness and dwell time of vis­it­ors to the Strath­don area and asso­ci­ated eco­nom­ic benefits.

The devel­op­ment is clearly aligned with the com­pet­it­ive strengths Tour­ing & the Great Out­doors in the new Des­tin­a­tion Aber­deen and Aber­deen­shire Tour­ism Strategy 2018 and strengthens the over­all tour­ism offer­ing in North East Scot­land and I am happy to offer my sup­port to this application.

Yours sin­cerely

Chris Foy Chief Exec­ut­ive VisitAberdeenshire

T +44 (0)1224 900490 E info@​visitabdn.​com w www​.vis​it​abdn​.com Com­pany Regis­tra­tion No. SC413620 Aber­deen and Aber­deen­shire Tour­ism Com­pany Lim­ited T/A Vis­it­Ab­er­deen­shire 1^st Floor Amic­able House 252 Uni­on Street Aber­deen AB10 1TN

Scot­land Alba

Jo Robin­son | Region­al Dir­ect­or Vis­itScot­land Lord Cul­len House Fraser Place Aber­deen AB25 3UB

28 August 2018

Dear Sir/​Madam,

Cor­garff Hol­i­day Lodges

I write to express VisitScotland’s sup­port for Black Byre’s pro­posed devel­op­ment of 12 hol­i­day lodges near Cock Bridge.

The pro­posed self-cater­ing accom­mod­a­tion units are to be built to a high stand­ard of qual­ity, and using an eco-friendly design. This devel­op­ment rep­res­ents a value-for-money pro­pos­i­tion for vis­it­ors to the region, and I am encour­aged to see busi­nesses invest­ing in new product at a time when tour­ism is cent­ral to Aberdeenshire’s eco­nom­ic strategy and a key sec­tor for growth.

This devel­op­ment is also the kind of high qual­ity asset advoc­ated with­in the nation­al tour­ism strategy Tour­ism Scot­land 2020 as part of Scotland’s col­lect­ive ambi­tion to be recog­nised as a des­tin­a­tion of first choice.

The Cairngorms Nation­al Park wel­comes a wide range of vis­it­ors each year to the area, and vis­it­or num­bers look set to rise with the launch last year of the Snow Roads Scen­ic Route and the North East 250 tour­ing route. It is essen­tial that vis­it­ors to the Nation­al Park, as well as trav­el­lers on these tour­ing routes and the many ski­ers, wild­life-watch­ers and adven­ture seekers already vis­it­ing the area, are well-served by qual­ity accom­mod­a­tion. Increas­ingly, vis­it­ors are seek­ing to spend their money with busi­nesses that can demon­strate strong green credentials.

Vis­itScot­land wel­comes the devel­op­ment of this pro­ject and is com­mit­ted to provid­ing any industry sup­port required through­out the devel­op­ment pro­cess, be it through our Qual­ity Assur­ance scheme, mar­ket­ing sup­port, data and trends ana­lys­is, or stra­tegic support.

Vis­itScot­land appre­ci­ates the dif­fer­ent factors that need to be con­sidered in plan­ning applic­a­tions, and with­in this pro­cess we hope that our views can be taken into account.

Yours faith­fully,

Jo Robin­son Region­al Director