The National Park Board Report prepared by the Director of Planning sets out the planning consideration involved in the assessment of the proposal. This assessment includes a summary of the responses from the Statutory Consultees and a summary of representations received.

At the meeting Members were minded to approve the above application subject to the imposition of conditions and a Section 75 Agreement.

The Section 75 Agreement has now been signed and planning permission subject to conditions was granted on 13 February 2012. The decision notice is available to view on our e-planning website. This includes a list of the conditions.

The Section 75 Legal Agreement includes:

1. Provision of Financial Guarantees/bonds sufficient to allow the National Park Authority to enter and restore the site to a satisfactory standard at any stage of the development when the operator has failed to meet defined obligations (including Mining Waste obligations) or has abandoned the site. These are:

• Decommissioning and Restoration Bond £950K
• Minerals Waste Regulations Bond (for monitoring of mining waste) £160K
• Greater Cononish Glen Management Plan Bond £222K

2. A requirement to produce and implement a Decommission and Restoration Plan, including a 20 year aftercare period.

3. Details of developer contributions and monitoring cost contributions. The legal agreement sets out the payment of developer contributions towards projects which enhance conservation and visitor experience in the National Park. This is to be a minimum of £25K within 2 years of commencement of work on site, and a minimum of £50K per year for each of the following 6 years of operation (totalling £325K).

Scotgold have agreed to pay a maximum of £117K towards the National Park Authority’s costs incurred in monitoring the development.

4. A requirement to produce and implement a Greater Cononish Glen Management Plan. This is a­­­­ 30 year management strategy covering the Cononish Estate and will include:

• Measures for native woodland planting in the lower Glen, extending the Coille Coire Chuilc SSSI, riparian areas and around the mine site at Cononish. 
• Management of grazing through the erection of new fencing to enhance the habitat, particularly upland heath, of the Ben Lui NNR/SSSI.
• Restructuring of the edges of the Forestry Commission plantation on the north side of the Glen through selective felling and new planting
• Improvements to soften the landscape impact of the Glen track including visual improvements to batters and exposed culvert/drain piping, introducing planting to the upgraded bridge and public car park and, post mine-closure, softening the visual impact of the mine access road.
• Maintenance of access for walkers and climbers using the Glen, which leads to the eastern approach to Ben Lui and to Beinn Dubhcraig and Ben Oss as well as winter ice climbing at Eas Anie.
• Signage situated at the public car park at Dalrigh to illustrate this, with further locational signage [way markers] on the Cononish Glen track.

Planning conditions include:
Extraction limits
Working hours limitation
Traffic management
Waste management plans
Otter and bat surveys
River flow monitoring
Blasting limitation to certain times and blast warnings

Once development begins on site we will post regular update reports on this page.