Hill Races and the PLMA – the position of the Friends of the Pentlands
The Friends of the Pentlands is a conservation charity established in March 2003. Our motto is: “Conserving, protecting and enhancing”. We aim to promote the natural beauty and diversity of the hills, their cultural heritage, the quality of life of those who live and work there, and the enjoyment of recreational visitors. We have over 400 individual and corporate members including both those who exercise recreational access rights over the Pentlands and those involved in land management.
We are concerned at media reports that issues have arisen between the organisers of events and the Pentland Land Managers Association (PLMA). We support the aim of the PLMA “to improve the Pentland Hills Regional Park for everyone who works in, visits and manages this valuable natural resource”. We share their concerns with regard to potential environmental damage. We do, however, also support the principles of the Land Reform (Scotland ) Act 2003 and the responsible exercise of public access rights.
We are unclear as to the extent of the environmental damage resulting specifically from events in the Pentlands in comparison with damage resulting from everyday use by walkers, equestrians and cyclists. We would welcome research to establish the position.
It would be a matter of regret if some of the charitable events referred to in the National article of 2 September 2023 are unable to proceed in future due to the imposition of significant cost and/or the burden of preparing environmental impact assessments for all events.
We hope that the PLMA and the organisers of events in the Pentlands can, in consultation with the Pentland Hills Regional Park and relevant organisations such as the Friends of the Pentlands, work together to resolve their differences. In that connection the Pentlands Regional Park Joint Committee could have a role to play and it is unfortunate that it has not met since August 2021.