Path work on Dumyat stopped after outcry
`Improvements’ruining landscape say users of hill
Work to renew and improve Dumyat has been halted after an outcry from cyclists and walkers.
Scottish Power Energy Networks (SP Energy Networks) began works to restore the route as part of the Beauly-to-Denny powerline mitigation work.
The energy giant told the Observer it was undertaking the 12-week long project “sensitively” but users of the hill say it’s leaving a scar across the landscape and “destroying the charm” of the hill.
The energy firm have now called off the works pending further discussions due to take place later this week.
A spokesperson for SP Energy Networks said: “We have paused work and are meeting with our partners and key stakeholders on Friday. This will build on previous discussions and consultations to plan this work.
“This project is being carried out by specialist contractors who carefully and thoughtfully consider the landscape.”
Dunblane and Bridge of Allan Green councillor, Alasdair Tollemache, who has received numerous complaints about the work, said: “Many local people have contacted me over the weekend urging me to have the path work on Dumyat halted. The works at Dumyat were planned following the construction of the Beauly–Denny line and were to be sympathetic to the surrounding area.
“The tender specifically calls for sections of the path to be hand dug. Instead what we are seeing is heavy machinery being used to tear up the countryside.
“Following discussions I have had with SP Energy Networks they have agreed that work will be halted until an assessment can take place. A meeting has now been arranged and I look forward to a constructive solution from this.
“It’s vital that this mitigation work is carried out in accordance with best practice – ensuring that Dumyat can continue to be enjoyed by the local community and the many visitors that regularly use the path.”
Dunblane resident, Bruce Ritchie, was angered by the scale of the work being carried out. He wrote to Scottish Power, saying: “What work I have witnessed at first hand does not appear to be ‘sympathetic’ to the natural contours of the hill and almost certainly it does not appear to comply with the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) best practice for hill paths. Hill paths of suitable and appropriate nature in my experience need to be hand dug and crafted, not machined by brute force and ignorance.
“I also have concerns for the duration of the work as I see no welfare facilities for the workers and a lack of suitable plans or documentation during my visits there over the past few days. This further gives rise to concern for the wider environmental impact to the local ecology and in particular aspects of ground water, substrate issues and ongoing weather proofing of the path.”
SNH operations manager, Ian Bray, said: “SNH recognises that Dumyat is an iconic local landmark and very popular walk. It is important that paths in locations such as Dumyat are both well-constructed and sympathetic to the local landscape and ecology. At this stage in construction, it’s difficult to assess whether or not the footpath will comply with our best practice guidance. We have been in contact with Stirling Council and with local interest groups and will continue to provide advice and guidance where appropriate, although we have no formal role in this project.”
Dr Nicki Baker, a former spokesman for Friends of the Ochils who was involved in drafting the group’s suggestions for mitigation work arising from the Beauly-Denny scheme, said the path up Dumyat was in poor condition in places.
She explained Friends of the Ochils were invited to comment on two versions of the plans that were drawn up for the path works by the consultants appointed by the Scottish Government’s steering group.
“We made robust and detailed comments on both sets of proposals, but many of our comments were not accepted and we were then told we would not be consulted further,” said Dr Baker.
“We saw a clear need for some appropriate and sensitivelydesigned path work to be done, because since the Scottish Government’s Land Reform Act 2003 came into force, there had been a substantial and everincreasing presence of mountain bikers on the hill in addition to the already large number of walkers, and a consequent substantial and ever-increasing amount of damage to, and widening of, the paths,”
It was their view that any path work should be implemented only where essential and particularly over the extensive area that had become excessively boggy.
They suggested leaving stretches of rocky path especially where the rock is itself of geological interest.
“We made clear our opposition to the sort of artificial path work that is often seen in more urban environments, and is sometimes used, wrongly, in popular upland areas,” added Dr Baker.
“We advised very strongly that in many stretches the proposal that the paths should be one metres or 1.5 metres wide would be wholly inappropriate to the scale of the landscape.”