Visitors to the Wolftrax mountain bike trails at Laggan will soon be greeted with new facilities after the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) granted planning permission for a reception building at the centre.
Meeting in Ballater today (Friday 8th November), the committee unanimously agreed with the planning officer’s recommendation to approve the application which will result in a building that will house a café, toilets, showers, an office, educational resource as well as a bike maintenance area and storage.
The new reception building will replace the current temporary buildings on the site, which are now in a poor state of repair but have served the centre well since it opened for business in 2004.
CNPA planning committee Convener Eleanor Mackintosh said: “We want to promote the Cairngorms National Park as a place to enjoy and a place to be active so investment in facilities like Laggan Wolftrax is important to help us achieve that that vision. I am happy to support this application, which will improve the visitor experience and should result in a boost in numbers coming to the area.”
The Laggan Forest Trust put forward the proposals to be able to build on the success of Laggan Wolftrax. They say they are delighted with the news today and look forward to work getting underway very soon. Ian Brown, board member said: “This is an exciting step forward in moving towards our vision of Laggan as a visitor and cycle friendly location for all. The centre is designed to serve the needs of our existing and future visitors building on the reputation of Laggan amongst the mountain biking community.
“We look forward to moving towards opening the facility in 2014 and working with our partners and local businesses.”
To read this planning paper in full click here