Proposals
to build hundreds of new homes close to the Tweed in a £200 million
development scheme promoted by councillors on Conservative-led Scottish Borders
Council risk polluting the world-famous river and could threaten its dwindling salmon
stocks, say ecology experts.
However, the planned residential development of up to 400
houses at Lowood/Tweedbank with its negative environmental implications appears
to be at odds with efforts to protect fishing habitats by two local Tory
politicians, one of them Scotland’s designated Species Champion for Atlantic
Salmon.
A team of consultants representing the owner of the top
quality salmon angling beat of Upper Pavilion, which sits adjacent to the
planned residential development at Lowood, near Melrose, continue to
warn housebuilding on such a massive scale would almost certainly compromise
the River Tweed Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The salmon is one of the
species rating a special mention in the SAC designation.
But at the same time Atlantic salmon ‘champion’ Michelle
Ballantyne, Tory Member of the Scottish Parliament [MSP] for the South of
Scotland and her Conservative party colleague Rachael Hamilton, the member for
Ettrick, Roxburgh & Berwickshire, are pressing the Scottish Government to consider
special measures to reverse the decline
of fish stocks on the Tweed and other rivers.
The issues surrounding the plight of Atlantic salmon in
Scottish waters was the subject of a debate in the Holyrood Parliament in early
April after Mrs. Hamilton lodged the following motion:
“That the Parliament notes the reported long-term decline in
salmon stocks across Scotland’s major rivers, including the Tweed, the Spey,
the Dee and the Tay; understands that catches have decreased over the last
decade; notes that, on the Tweed, rod catches have fallen from 23,219 in 2012
to 6,577 in 2017; believes that this is marginally above the previous worst
years, 1977 and 1980; understands that angling in Scotland supports around
2,800 jobs and contributes £100 million to the economy; acknowledges that
fishing generates significant employment opportunities in rural areas;
recognises that there are significant challenges ahead if salmon stocks are to
return to previous levels, and notes the calls for the Scottish Government to
take urgent action to devise effective conservation and management plans in
conjunction with relevant bodies to help address what it sees as the persistent
decline in salmon stocks.”
And in her speech to Parliament Mrs Hamilton said: “On the
ground, we need to look at the whole ecosystem along the entire course of the
river. Healthy salmon populations are possibly one of the best indicators of a
healthy environment, which every one of us will benefit from. If we do not take
action now, it will not be only our fragile rural economy that takes the hit in
the short term; it will be our fragile environment as a whole in the long term.”
Atlantic salmon champion Mrs Ballantyne - a former Tory Group leader at SBC - also contributed to
the debate, declaring: “At the end of last year, I was asked whether I would be
the Scottish Environment LINK species champion for Atlantic salmon and I was
delighted to take that on. It has been a learning curve—I did not know anything
about it when I set out. What I have discovered has led to a number of worries.
“The Atlantic salmon is a keystone species, which means that
any decline in stock has a direct and immediate impact on freshwater
biodiversity, with the presence of salmon being a useful indicator of the
health of our rivers. It is therefore imperative that we work to preserve wild
salmon stocks to secure the future of our aquatic ecosystem.”
Her “Champions” page on the Scottish Environment LINK
website says: “Aquaculture poses the most serious threat through transfer of
disease and interbreeding with fish that have escaped from farms. Barriers to
migration such as dams and weirs, changes to river systems including
development and pollution, unsustainable fishing practices both at sea and in
rivers, and climate change have the potential to affect wild populations.”
And it adds under the heading ‘Action Needed’ : 1 “Support
measures to reduce impact of aquaculture on wild fish 2. Support removal of
obstacles to migration in rivers 3. Support enhanced regulation to reduce
nutrient pollution 4. Support biodiversity and climate actions, including tree
planting along river corridors”
It is not known whether Mrs Ballantyne and Mrs Hamilton have
discussed the potential risk to Tweed salmon stocks from the Lowood development
with the Conservative group at Scottish Borders Council led by Councillor Shona
Haslam. SBC purchased the Lowood estate from the Hamilton family for £11 million, including fees, taxes and interest charges.
As previously reported, the council has chosen to ignore the contents and
findings of a comprehensive report, handed to them in March 2018 by a group of
consultants headed by Jones Lang Lasalle
acting for Upper Pavilion owners Middlemede Properties.
In their environmental appraisal of the Tweedbank Masterplan
(TM) specialists ITPEnergised wrote:
“Given the extensive list of additional
protected species surveys that need to be undertaken, it is clear that the
proposed development of the Lowood element of the Tweedbank allocation has the
potential to cause significant impact to these species, either through loss of
habitat, disturbance, or indeed, mortality.
“The requirement for such extensive additional surveys
supports the view that ecological and
environmental constraints have formed little, if any, of the ‘key principles’
behind the TM exercise. Given that none of this additional ecological survey
work seems to have been completed, it is unclear how SBC has arrived at the
figure presented in the Masterplan Brief of a ‘development of a minimum of
250-400+ dwellings’.
“This appears to be, at best, an aspirational figure and
certainly premature until such time as it is known what the full impact of the
development proposals could have on the important habitats and species present
in this area. The River Tweed SAC and SSSI is a highly sensitive ecological
receptor which requires protection from urban development and the TM does not
appear to provide this protection in its current form.
“The River Tweed, which flows through the TM boundary, is
designated as a SAC and SSSI for salmon and otter. This is a highly important
ecological resource, maintaining a number of habitats and species, which
require protection from future development. The TM includes an aspirational
density of 250-400+ dwellings, however no justification has been provided that
Lowood can accommodate this scale of development and indeed that figure would
seem to have been arrived at before any level of environmental appraisal work
has been undertaken.
“The TM has not taken into consideration the impacts that
the proposed development will have on existing riparian uses and interests,
including effects that increased pollution and flooding risks could have on
recreational fisheries and ongoing conservation efforts. The TM currently shows
that the proposed development would be drained through a SUDS pond which will
be located within an area identified by SEPA as at medium to high risk of
flooding. This is contrary to SEPA guidance and increases the exposure of the
River Tweed to pollution and increased risk of downstream flooding.”
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