News on Cairngorms 2030

Community drop-in events are planned on 2 May in Braemar and 3 May in Ballater, where ideas for improving active and public transport will be on display. Upper Deeside residents are being invited to shape the ideas that have been developed from their initial feedback and the project team will be on hand to discuss the project with residents at the drop-in events.

The Park Authority continues to work on transforming how people get around in the National Park, with the Upper Deeside Active and Sustainable Travel project as part of the Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030 programme. The programme is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players and Places for Everyone, an active travel infrastructure programme funded by the Scottish Government and administered by Sustrans.

Colin Simpson, Head of Visitor Services and Active Travel at the Cairngorms National Park Authority said: “Thank you to the local community who gave us a lot of ideas and thoughts during autumn 2022. This feedback helped us better understand the transport-related problems and opportunities in the area.

“The project team have identified a series of options based on the local input, and we look forward to meeting up with people in Braemar and Ballater to chat through the ideas and get their views.”

The drop-in events will take place at the following locations:

• Braemar Village Hall, Tuesday, 2 May, from 2 pm to 6.30 pm

• Victoria Hall, Ballater on Wednesday 3 May from 2 pm to 6:30pm

People can drop in anytime to find out more and leave comments. Information will also be available online soon and you can find out more by contacting transport@cairngorms.co.uk.

These events are part of a series of community feedback events to be held this year in the National Park, with more planned for Blair Atholl and Killiecrankie, along with other projects to change and improve how people get around the National Park. In addition, drop-in events in Boat of Garten, Carrbridge, Dulnain Bridge, Nethy Bridge and Newtonmore and Aviemore took place earlier this year.

In July 2021 The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded up to £12.5 million for Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030, a programme led by the Park Authority and over 45 committed partners. Its aims over the next five years are:

• To put local people at the heart of decision-making

• To work with land managers to restore and enhance landscapes

• To make getting around the National Park easier, safer, and greener

• To foster healthier, happier communities with wellbeing at their heart

To help shape this work, views have been gathered from people who live, visit and work in the National Park. Over 30 community events and workshops have taken place and more than 1,200 responses have been received online. The Park Authority is currently pulling together all findings from the last 12 months into a final proposal to The National Lottery Heritage Fund. If successful, the next stage of the programme will kick off in January 2024.