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Residents of Blair Atholl, Struan and Calvine gave an 85% ‘Yes’ vote in favour of plans being submitted for planning permission for the new Blair Atholl Gateway Centre. A community consultation flyer was distributed to some 300 homes in the area, detailing plans for the new gateway centre. This flyer was put together at the request of the Blair Atholl and Struan Community Council after a presentation to it by Architects Brennan and Wilson. |
The Blair Atholl Gateway Group was set up four years ago in response to Blair Atholl being left out of the Cairngorm National Park. The group set itself the task of trying to decide how best to maximise the opportunity of Blair Atholl’s strategic position on the southern boundary of the Cairngorms massif. Consultants were employed and two presentations were made to the community.
The Blair Charitable Trust has agreed to take this development forward in the absence of an outside developer being found or another body within the community.
James Rattray the co-ordinator of the Blair Atholl Gateway Group said that “The existing businesses at the location of the proposed Gateway Centre (the museum, chip shop/restaurant and ranger’s hut) are already working with Blair Castle Estates and it makes sense that this relationship continues with the development of the Gateway Centre.”
He continued: “In Blair Charitable Trust we have an organisation that is part of the fabric of the community of Blair Atholl with the same broad aims.”
Open Door Policy
Sarah Troughton and Andrew Bruce Wootten said that Blair Charitable Trust would have an open door policy, where anyone from the community at any time can ask or find out how the project is progressing. From time to time Blair Charitable Trust would report back to the Community Council and BAATA on the Gateway Centre’s progress and on any significant developments.
Andrew Bruce Wootten indicated that a planning application would be submitted before April. John McCrone from Perth and Kinross Council indicated he would provide funds to allow the planning application to be progressed before the end of the current council financial year. He also indicated that the Gateway Centre plans would be written in to a Development Brief for the site.
James Rattray reported that the Blair Atholl Gateway Group, which was a sub group of Blair Atholl and Struan Community Council, had achieved what it originally set out to do and was disbanded with immediate effect. He thanked everyone for their time and effort over the last 4 years, recording that attendance at all the Gateway Group meetings had always been good, often with between 10 to 16 individuals participating through out.
Acknowledgements
He picked out a few individuals to thank particularly - John McCrone of P&K Council for helping to guide the group through the minefield of public bodies and requirements over the last 4 years, and Andrew Bruce Wootten and to Sarah Troughton for attending virtually every meeting the Gateway Group had had over the last 4 years.
James paid particular tribute to Sarah Troughton saying the village and the Blair Atholl community was especially fortunate to live in an area where the major land owner/trustee took such a keen interest in the community’s wellbeing. James said he knew of many, many villages and towns up and down the country that wished they had similar involvement and support from their major landowner.
Sarah Troughton said that the Blair Charitable Trust would not have taken on the project unless it had complete community support, which was crucial for Blair Charitable Trust to progress this project on behalf of Blair Atholl.
