Springfield Properties, the developer behind An Camas Mor, has pulled out of their partnership with landowner, the Rothiemurchus Estate.
Whilst the Rothiemurchus Estate is to seek a new developer to work with, Buglife believes this is a major set back for this damaging development in the Cairngorms.
The new town at An Camas Mor, for 1,500 houses, threatens the wildlife rich habitats of Cairngorms National Park and its sites of European importance for conservation.
Surveys have shown the site is a haven for wildlife, with at least ten species of conservation priority, including the Small heath butterfly and Tormentil mining bee. Species such as Northern damselfly, a rare species restricted solely to the Scottish Highlands, is known to use ponds on the development site. The development will result in a large loss of habitat such as heathland and irreplaceable ancient woodland, leading to more fragmentation of declining habitats.
Alice Farr, Planning Manger at Buglife said “We are hugely concerned about this development and its impact on Scotland’s precious wildlife. The Cairngorms National Park is quite simply the best area in Scotland for insects; this site alone has at least 10 priority species of conservation concern which is above average for most sites.
With wildlife in decline as never before we should be protecting these special places, not destroying them. We hope that this set back is an opportunity to review the impact of this development on both our wildlife and the Cairngorms National Park.”
