Planning green light for broadcaster Kirsty Young and husband to build tourist lodge on island in Loch Lomond

                                     

Osprey's eye view of  scenic Inchconnachan Island 

BROADCASTER Kirsty Young has been granted provisional planning  consent to build a tourist holiday lodge, warden's accommodation and boatway on an island in Loch Lomond -  thanks to a little help from the RSPB.

There had been objections about the project on the 103-acre Inchconnachan Island from Woodland Trust Scotland and others.

This is because the scheme involves felling trees that are remnants of ancient rainforest.

But a letter from RSPB Scotland to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs planning authority may have tipped the balance in favour of Ms Young (55) - former host of BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs - and her entrepreneur husband Nick Jones (58).

Owen Selly, conservation officer for the bird charity in Scotland wrote: "Given that the footprint of the  proposed development covers less than 0.1 per cent of Inchconnachan and less than 0.03 per cent of the Special Area of Conservation, we consider there will not be an adverse effect on the integrity of  the woods."

Kirsty Young - her own 'desert' island

except that it's in a loch

Members of the planning authority had to weigh this argument against a more sustained objection from Woodland Trust Scotland's Nicole Hillier who wrote: "We are concerned about the following impacts to the ancient woodland: 

• Direct loss of ancient woodland to facilitate the proposed lodge, plus installation of water and ground source heating boreholes.

• The creation of boardwalks within the ancient woodland area.

• Noise, light and dust pollution occurring from adjacent development, during both construction and operational phases.

• Where the wood edge overhangs newly formed public areas or property, trees can become safety issues and be indiscriminately lopped/felled, resulting in a reduction of  the woodland canopy and threatening the long-term retention of such trees.

• The creation of a soakaway and use of a sewage treatment plant within the ancient woodland can lead to the introduction of harmful pollutants/contaminants affecting the nutrient balance of the soils.

Ms Hillier continued: "Development in ancient woodland can lead to long-term changes in species composition, particularly ground flora and sensitive fauna such as nesting birds and reptiles. 

"Ancient woodland is an irreplaceable habitat and therefore its loss cannot be mitigated - once lost, it is gone forever." 

Subject to legal formalities and certain planning conditions, the application was approved by councillors.

The island used to be home to capercaillies, but, according to the RSPB, they have long since departed - a consequence of predation of eggs and chicks by pine martens, foxes and crows and human disturbance.

The capercaillies - known as 'kings of the forest' - will also have been disadvantaged by the presence of fallow deer and by the introduction, in 1940, of non-native red-necked wallabies which may have provided grazing competition and crushed chicks and eggs by their mode of movement. 

What birds are there now on Inchconnachan Island, one of about 10 islands in  Loch Lomond?

Surveys, the last two of which were  carried out on two dates in August 2023, have revealed the presence of the following species:

* Blackbird

* Blue tit

* Carrion crow

* Jackdaw

* Raven

* Chaffinch

* Cormorant

* Dipper

* Dunnock

* Fieldfare

* Goldcrest

* Goosander

* Jay

* Little grebe

* Long-tailed tit

* Mistle thrush

* Redwing

* Robin

* Treecreeper

* Woodcock

* Woodpigeon

* Wren

* Grey wagtail

* Chaffinch

* Goldcrest

* Nuthatch

* Willow warbler

* Siskin

* Osprey

One of the planning conditions is that, prior to the start of development, "a breeding birds protection plan shall be submitted to, and approved in writing by the planning authority". 

The consent also insists on a detailed "osprey protection plan". 

It is not known if the couple are members either of the RSPB or of the Woodland Trust. 

It is believed they paid about £1-million for the island after it came on the market in 2020.

The Wryneck says: Without fully understanding the ecological sensitivities, we have to be neutral on the application. The planning documents reveal that Ms Young and Mr Jones are keen to remove invasive plants such as rhododendron from the island. This is to their credit because it will be an arduous task. However, the response from the RSPB regarding trees is disappointing. The impact on ancient forest may be slight, but, as is happening all over Britain, incremental loss, one small step at a time, gradually erodes both habitat and biodiversity.