Caithness chairman encourages public to take part in Flow Country World Heritage consultation
Highland councillors in Caithness and Sutherland are urging the public to take part in this month’s series of drop-in events about the World Heritage Site project for the Flow Country.
The consultation process will start in Wick next week with the first of a series of 13 sessions in communities across the two counties.
The chairman of the Caithness Committee, Councillor Matthew Reiss, says he hopes as many people as possible will go along and get involved.
“The increasing profile and importance of the unique Flow Country is a good news story for Caithness and Sutherland,” he said. “It is accessible from the North Coast 500, which is bringing more tourists and making more people aware of its unique importance.
“Looking forward I can see new exciting opportunities for businesses and communities opening up across the north. We are looking for people to get involved, put forward their ideas and pass on their comments so we can capture local views and take them on board as plans go forward.”
The consultation events will run from 11am to 7pm (except for Golspie which will be from 1pm to 7pm) and are part of a larger community consultation about the whole idea of a World Heritage Site in the Flow Country.
Dates and venues are: May 14, Pulteney Centre, Wick; May 15, Golspie Community Centre; May 16, Timespan, Helmsdale; May 17, Dunbeath Heritage Centre; May 20, Brora Community Centre; May 21, Lybster Community Centre; May 22, Altnaharra Hotel; May 23, Youth Centre, Halkirk; May 24, Thurso Library; May 27, Lairg Community Centre; May 28, Strathy Village Hall; May 29, Tongue Village Hall; May 30, Kildonan Hall.
We must do more to retain our young people and attract more young families to move in, and World Heritage status can and should play an important role.
David Richardson, development manager for the Federation of Small Businesses in the Highlands and Islands, believes the World Heritage designation would open up new opportunities for the business community.
“The Flow Country is of international significance and yet it remains one of our best-kept secrets and an underutilised asset,” he said. “Population forecasts for 2016 to 2041 show a 21.1 per cent decline in Caithness and an 11.9 per cent decline in Sutherland, and many of the people remaining will be ageing fast.
“We must do more to retain our young people and attract more young families to move in, and World Heritage status can and should play an important role. Not only will it protect what matters to us all environmentally, it will also preserve traditional land uses and open up a whole range of new, sensitive, compatible and sustainable business opportunities.
“These, together with the many great businesses already in existence, will be able to market themselves as belonging to the Flow Country World Heritage Site – a powerful brand to conjure with.”
The independent chairperson of the Flow Country World Heritage Site working group, Frances Gunn, said: “It’s really amazing to think that we have something right on our doorstep that ranks in global importance alongside the Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon and the Pyramids. Who would have thought it?
“These drop-in sessions are a great opportunity for local people to come along and see what the World Heritage Site project is all about and what it might mean for them. World Heritage sites are an internationally recognised brand and might bring a number of opportunities for local people and any budding entrepreneurs out there.”
Joe Perry, the Peatland Partnership’s World Heritage Site project co-ordinator, said: “A Flow Country World Heritage Site would not only be an enormous accolade for the area and the many organisations, land managers, crofters and farmers who have maintained this land for generations, but it could also bring many positive development opportunities and undoubtedly some challenges too.
“The purpose of the consultation is to find out what our local communities think about this idea and to see if we can help meet some of their aspirations through developing a World Heritage Site that meets their needs as well as recognising the global importance of this vast peatland.”
The partnership will collate all the feedback from these sessions as well as gathering local people’s ideas and stories about the Flow Country.
Working group members and Joe Perry will be on hand at the drop-in sessions to speak to people and note their comments. Feedback forms will also be available which can be completed there and then or taken home to be completed and sent in at a later date.
