Steven Abbott Associates LLP Supports Sustainable Land Management in Scottish Borders
Steven Abbott Associates LLP (SAA) has advised on a planning application for the erection of forestry store and welfare facilities in the Scottish Borders.
The approval will allow the applicants to undertake effective and sustainable deer management in the area, on the Kilbucho and adjacent Glenhighton estates. The building will provide garaging for 4x4 and all-terrain vehicles, secure storage areas and basic welfare accommodation for workers.
After extensive pre-application discussions between local authority planning officers and SAA, Scottish Borders Council agreed that the plans complied with local development policies on rural and forestry development, design and impact. It was also agreed that the design and finish of the building – with its proposed brown timber walls and dark green metal roofing - is appropriate to its wooded surroundings and would have limited impact on the landscape. The architects for the scheme were David Farmer Associates.
Heavily involved in the project, SAA partner, Alastair Skelton said: “A key aspect of this application was providing Scottish Borders Council with a full understanding of deer control management as an essential part of wider forestry and land management activities. We are of course, delighted at the decision to approve the plans.”
Effective control of the non-indigenous Sika deer is a recognised local issue identified by the Deer Commission for Scotland (DCS). When areas of woodland are subject to planned felling, followed by replanting, newly planted trees are especially susceptible to deer damage and the only way to effectively manage the land is for workers to spend more time actively stalking deer. The approved forestry store will therefore enable the applicants at Kilbucho and Glenhighton – who live away from the forest – to successfully conduct this vital part of the commercial forestry operations.
(April 2010)
