§ Lord Melchettasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there is land at Rothiemurchus in Scotland within the area eligible for the Forestry Commission native pinewood grant, which meets the SSSI criteria laid down by the Nature Conservancy Council, but which has not been so notified, and, if so, why notification has not taken place and what acreage of land is involved.
§ The Earl of AvonThe land at Rothiemurchus eligible for the Forestry Commission native pinewood grant amounts to 3,388 hectares; of this, 1,328 hectares are already within a National Nature Reserve and a further area of about 1,400 hectares is considered to meet the SSSI criteria established by the NCC.
The council is involved in detailed discussions with the owner, the Forestry Commission and Countryside Commission for Scotland concerning the future management and conservation of the land of special interest. However, it is not practicable yet to define a precise boundary for the proposed SSSI. Further detailed discussions will be undertaken this summer following which the formal notification procedures are expected to take place.