Issue 2 May 1999
PROPOSED CAIRN GORM FUNICULARThe Bank of Scotland is Backing a Loserby Mike Dales The ongoing battle to stop the proposed Cairn Gorm Funicular from being built is still being fought and the MCofS is at the centre of the debate. Our determination to fight for a sensible and workable outcome on Cairn Gorm is stronger than ever. We appreciate the support that we are receiving from our members and ask you to continue to do what you can to ensure that this crazy plan never gets anywhere near the mountain. The amazing aspect of the campaign against the funicular is that it has grown increasingly stronger over time. The proposal was first put forward in October 1994, and four and a half years later the determination to see off this sick idea is unrelenting. In the first edition of Scottish Mountaineer we asked members to write to The European Union. Many of you did that, and those of you that haven't can still write to express your disgust at the planned waste of public money. Another organisation that is worth writing to is the Bank of Scotland. They are the only source of private money willing to gamble on the proposed funicular, and from correspondence that other recreation and conservation organisations have had with the bank it appears that their managers do not understand the issues surrounding the proposed funicular. In view of the strong economic arguments suggesting how un-viable the proposed funicular would be, we believe that the Bank of Scotland should seriously consider the amount that they are gambling if they back what is almost certainly a dead certain loser. Research that has been carried out in recent months shows that the proposed funicular, if ever built, would very likely attract far fewer visitors than Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and the Cairngorm Chairlift Company (CCC) have claimed it would. HIE has made extraordinary claims that the proposed facility would underpin 1,000 jobs in the local economy, but so far there is no evidence to back up this claim. Our view is that there would be a very strong possibility that there may even be a net loss in tourism in the area if such a monstrosity was created and its effect was to drive people away.
We are asking people to take the issue of the proposed funicular up with the manager of their local branch of the Bank of Scotland, and to ask him or her to pass on your concerns to their line manager. If you are unable to make your complaint at a local branch we would advise you to write to the headquarters. The person to write to is: In the run up to the Scottish Election we would encourage all walkers, climbers and skiers to let their prospective candidates know that this is an issue that greatly concerns them and we would advise you to say that you think this proposed scheme is a disaster in the making. If it failed it would have to be removed from the mountainside. You can point to the fact that the basis for its removal is already set out in Clause Tenth of the Section 50 Management Agreement. We believe it would almost certainly fail and have to be removed, and in any case the MCofS, along with many others, would campaign for its removal from the arrival of the first bulldozer. The 2 questions to ask your prospective candidates, therefore, are these:
If you speak to any local candidates and ask these, or similar questions we would be interested to know their answers. Please feel free to write to the MCofS office and tell us what answers you received. |
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