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CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY 
Paper 5 15/05/09 

CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY 


FOR INFORMATION 

Title: CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK BOUNDARY 

EXTENSION 

Prepared by: Andrew Harper, Head of Economic and Social 
Development 

Purpose 

To inform the Board of progress with the extension of the Cairngorms National 
Park boundary as well as work that is underway to ensure a smooth transition. 

Recommendations 

a) The Board is asked to note the report and raise any questions on the 
update provided. 

Executive Summary 

SNH have submitted their recommendations on the southern extension of the 
Park boundary to the Scottish Government and these have been laid before 
Parliament. The timing of the boundary change process should become clear 
soon. Work is underway with Perth and Kinross Council to plan for a smooth 
boundary transition. 



PAGE 2

CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK BOUNDARY EXTENSION – FOR 
INFORMATION 


Background 

1. In March 2008 Scottish Ministers announced their proposal to extend the 
Cairngorms National Park into Perth and Kinross on, or approximately on, 
the boundary proposed in John Swinney’s Cairngorms National Park 
Boundary Bill. This boundary was in turn based on SNH’s earlier advice in 
its Report on the proposal for a National Park in the Cairngorms in 2001. 

2. Under Section 3 of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000, Ministers 
subsequently asked SNH to consult upon the proposal and to prepare a 
detailed proposal for the revised boundary by the end of 2008. The 
Report on the Proposal to Extend the Southern Boundary of the 
Cairngorms National Park into Perth and Kinross and Summary of 
Responses was duly submitted to the Scottish Government and was then 
laid before Parliament on 27 February 2009. 

3. The timing of the next steps in bringing about the boundary change 
should become clear soon, when Ministers’ conclusions from the wider 
National Parks Review consultation are announced. 

Preparatory Work 

4. In order to plan for a smooth transition, I have been liaising with Perth 
and Kinross Council’s Head of Planning, Roland Bean. We have 
identified a range of issues and the respective staff contacts where 
policy or operational activities need to be linked. The nominated staff 
have now been charged with following up these issues/actions. Some 
of the issues/actions group naturally around particular themes so three 
workshops are being arranged on the topics of: 

a) Access/Rangers; 
b) Sustainable tourism/destination development; 
c) Planning/Development Management. 

Next Steps 

5. I will continue to act as the point of co-ordination for the boundary 
extension work and will regularly liaise with Roland Bean to keep 
oversight and address any problems that arise. Information and/or 
decision reports will be presented to the Board as and when required. 


Andrew Harper 
MAY 2009 

andrewharper@cairngorms.co.uk