New Coire Glas group chairman appointed
Former senior executive at VisitScotland Riddell Graham has been appointed permanent chairman of the Coire Glas Community Liaison Group (CLG).
Mr Graham, who was director of industry and destination development at VisitScotland until his retirement in September, was confirmed in the role at a CLG meeting held by videolink on last Wednesday.
Councillor Ben Thompson, whose Caol and Mallaig ward includes the Coire Glas site, had filled the position of temporary chairperson until a permanent appointment could be made.
Mr Graham, who lives in the Scottish Borders, will oversee regular meetings of the CLG, which gives representatives of the community an opportunity to discuss the progress of the proposed Coire Glas pumped storage hydro plant near Loch Lochy.
His recent consultation experience includes chairing the Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group, which was created to support tourism during the Covid-19 crisis and chairing the Gaelic Tourism Strategy Implementation Group.
The massive Coire Glas project received planning consent in October 2020 and SSE Renewables is currently conducting necessary investigative work before a final decision is made on whether to proceed with its construction.
The scheme would create enough capacity to power three million homes for periods of up to 24 hours and make a significant contribution towards Scottish and UK Government zero emission targets.
Coire Glas project director Ian Innes said: ‘We are delighted that Riddell has agreed to chair the Coire Glas CLG. He has considerable experience in public engagement and will ensure the liaison group is an effective means of community consultation. The role of the CLG is crucial to the development of Coire Glas and we look forward to moving ahead under Riddell’s chairmanship.
‘On behalf of SSE Renewables, I would also like to thank Councillor Thompson for stepping in to chair the first two meetings of the CLG. His contribution to the launch of the CLG has been critical in making sure it will be a robust and effective body.’
Mr Graham said: ‘It was a privilege to be asked to serve as chairman of the Coire Glas CLG and I am looking forward to working with members of the community in Lochaber and the Coire Glas project team at SSE Renewables as the development progresses.
‘I have witnessed the importance of effective community consultation during my time at
VisitScotland. This experience will be useful in shaping the way the CLG operates and making sure it is a meaningful platform for consultation for the duration of this exciting project.’
Councillor Thompson commented: ‘I didn’t know Riddell before but have had the opportunity to speak with him twice now and I was very impressed. He’s clearly a big hitter and certainly extremely experienced. Most importantly, he clearly understands the concerns of communities and businesses connected to tourism, which we have to reflect is our largest industry.
‘He understands how those particular sectors can be impacted by developers and that’s the thing I was looking for in terms of the chairman – that they would have that understanding coming in.’