Concerns about the future of the estate
Now that the estate is up for sale there are a number of concerns depending upon who purchases it and what their plans are. These could materially affect the landscape, scenic beauty, biodiversity and community access.
Commercial Forestry
Possibly the greatest concern is the effect on the landscape and biodiversity of the estate - and the wider National Scenic Area - with the prospect of the estate being sold to a forestry company or other corporate body who may wish to carpet the area in sitka spruce conifer plantations for carbon offsets.
The estate is being marketed through an agent that specialises in forest land sales, and a woodland planting plan has been produced, which includes around 1900 acres of new tree planting covering some 70% of the land on the estate - including all the hills, leaving just the valley floor fields. Obviously this is just a proposal - any new owner could chose to plant less - or possibly even more.
While the estate already has some blocks of commercial woodland these are small and insignificant compared to the large scale forestry proposed which would completely alter the landscape, destroy the beautiful scenery, significantly reduce biodiversity and reduce access to the land.
Some native broadleaf and scots pine planting would be beneficial to the estate and be welcomed - but not large scale commercial forestry.
This map shows areas proposed for tree planting in the current woodland planting plan shown in red and the total area being sold outlined in blue.
Large Scale Renewable Energy
The sales particulars also highlights the potential for wind and other renewable energy creation which, at a large scale, could be devastating for the National Scenic Area.
While we feel any large scale wind, solar or battery farm development would be unlikely to get planning permission within the National Scenic Area this may not deter developers, and the government has sometimes granted permission for other intrusive developments in highly sensitive areas of Scotland as well as numerous examples across Dumfries and Galloway.
Shooting estate
A further option the sellers agent has highlighted is the estate’s potential for development as a sporting estate for shooting of pheasants, partridge, duck, woodcock, snipe, red and roe deer.
While some culling of deer may be required from time to time we feel that development of a highland style shooting estate would be detrimental to the area, biodiversity and access to the land for walkers and other recreational users.