Cottage can replace derelict house
A rundown house in Blanefield looks set to be replaced.
Stirling Council planners have conditionally approved an application by Mr Allan Barns-Graham for a replacement house at Auchenloch Lodge.
The site is within the rural Carbeth estate around two kilometres west of the village and accessed from the B821 along an unmade single track private road..
The application was supported with a letter from structural engineers who concluded the house was in poor condition, beyond repair, has low insulation values and was not readily improvable or extendable.
In their decision, council planners said:“Proposals for replacement houses which are habitable but substandard are acceptable in the greenbelt.
“The design of the existing building in the context of the Conservation Area is substandard in terms of architectural design and construction so the demolition of the building would enhance the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.
“The supporting floor plan and elevation drawings shows a house on two levels which is larger than the housing that is found in the locality and would not be an appropriate building scale for this site. To take into account the setting of the Conservation Area and the small scale of local housing, the proposed replacement house is covered by a planning condition which requires a traditional cottage design with a vertical scale of predominately ground floor accommodation with rooms in the roof, roof lights and small-scale traditional dormers.
“A replacement house, subject to a design within this parameter, would enhance the Conservation Area.”
One representation was received from the Scottish Wildlife Trust, requesting a bat caution be issued to the applicant or a bat survey carried out in advance of demolition.
However, the planners said:“A preliminary bat survey was submitted which concluded there were no signs of any bats or indication of bat roosts.”
Former BBC weather forecaster ‘Heather the Weather’ is backing a commitment by Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority to become a net zero organisation by 2030.
The National Park Authority has developed an ambitious Mission Zero route map, which will see air source heat pumps, solar panels and a fully electric fleet of vehicles rolled out to reduce carbon emissions.
Dr Heather Reid, science education consultant and former weather forecaster with the Met Office and BBC Scotland, sits on the LLTNPA board and is sponsoring the Mission Zero work.
The ethos will be embedded across the whole organisation, making emissions reduction the top priority.
The National Park covers 720 square miles across four local authority areas and the park authority manages visitor facilities, offices and a fleet of vehicles to patrol the vast area.
Greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 38 per cent since 2014 but the Mission Zero route map will see efforts stepped up. At least £200,000 will be invested in emissions reduction in 2021/22 alone, including additional electric vehicles and an electric hybrid patrol boat for Loch Lomond.
Dr Reid said: “The growing impacts of the climate emergency have been all too real for those living, working and visiting the
National Park and tackling climate change has been a priority for us for a number of years.
“Alongside our investment in green infrastructure and technology, we will continue to support everyone here at the National Park Authority to champion emissions reduction in the actions we all take, ensuring that Mission Zero is everyone’s responsibility, and opportunity, to achieve.
“Mission Zero will influence how we work as an organisation and will also build motivation and momentum to drive positive and coordinated climate action across the National Park, making it an important step towards the National Park itself becoming a net zero place.”
LLTNPA chief executive Gordon Watson said: “The Scottish Government declared a global climate emergency in 2019 and set out its ambition to become a ‘Net Zero Nation’ by 2045.
“As a public body, and as a National Park Authority for whom protection of the environment is a core aim, we are confident that we can play our part by reaching net zero 15 years ahead of that target.
“Whilst we have seen some real progress in reducing our emissions, we know that now is the time to redouble our efforts and strengthen our commitment to Scotland’s future.
“We have a clear route map outlining how we will achieve net zero over the next decade involving a real step change in how we operate so that emissions reduction is at the heart of our decision making.
“With this goal in sight, we will dramatically reduce the emissions associated with the work we undertake, the services we deliver and those arising from across the land and buildings we manage.”
In addition to infrastructure changes, all staff, volunteers and the LLTNPA board will be encouraged to consider how their behaviour can support net zero. Progress will be continuously monitored and the authority will seek to bring the net zero date closer than 2030 if practical to do so.
More information on Mission Zero can be found at http://lochlomond-trossachs.org/ mission-zero
Whilst we have seen some real progress in reducing emissions, the time is right to redouble our efforts