Strathdearn Community Council has issued an update on two concerns raised at their most recent meeting on 11 November:
Timber extraction from Glenkirk forest
SCC heard from members of the public that timber was being extracted from Glenkirk Forest outwith the agreed schedule. SCC received the following reply from RTS (Robbins Timber Services) who are managing the extraction:
“Thank you for bringing forward the community’s concerns regarding the haulage operations at Glenkirk.
Firstly, I would like to sincerely apologise for this situation. The haulage proceeded largely as planned until mid-October, after which there has evidently been a breakdown in communication between the timber buyer and the haulier, leading to these recent issues. As we discussed on Tuesday, it is extremely disappointing from my perspective to be in this position. The operational delays have resulted from challenging timber market conditions, which initially caused slow uplift from site—an issue that also occurred last year. Please be assured, it has never been our intention to extend operations beyond the end of October.
Addressing your points, I will respond to the second matter first: responsibility for the lack of communication with the Community Council rests with me. I had applied for an extension to the haulage, which was granted by the Roads Department. However, I should have informed the Council, and I apologise for this oversight. The current extension runs until the end of the month, and the final cutting of edge trees within Glenkirk is underway. Harvesting within the forest will be concluded early next week.
Regarding your first point, I have requested data from the timber buyer and will share this information with you once received.”
Buses through the village
The council discussed the closure of both bus stops on the A9 and the relocation of bus stops to the turning circle near Tomatin’s new temporary access junction. Would City Link and other long distance buses divert off the A9 to the new turning circle or would we lose those services altogether? Would the 37 service continue to run through the village or would its only stops be at the turning circle? SCC received the following replies from Stagecoach and Ember:
Re EMBAR Bus routes
“Thanks for your email. We run two routes along the A9 – our E8 route runs between Inverness and Glasgow; our E9 route runs between Inverness and Edinburgh. At the moment these are unregistered services, meaning we cannot have less than 15 miles between stops. This prevents us from stopping at Tomatin at the moment.
We are in the process of registering the E8 and E9 services, allowing us to add more stops. Without making any promises, we are very likely to add Tomatin as one of those additional stops. We have been provided details of the changes being made to bus stops around Tomatin by the Highland Council and have incorporated this into our plans. The registration process takes about three months so we expect to add additional stops in the first quarter of next year.”
RE: Stagecoach Bus Service
“As promised, I’ve followed up with our commercial department regarding the recent changes affecting services 37 and X37 in the Tomatin area.
Decisions around bus stops and routing are never taken lightly, and I want to reassure you that careful consideration was given. Service 37 continues to operate through Tomatin and will now serve a newly established stop within the village. Service X37, as an express route, has never entered Tomatin but previously stopped at the junction. Due to its express nature and time – sensitive schedule, it cannot accommodate a detour from the A9.
To clarify: the route for X37 remains unchanged. However, the stops it previously served at the junction have been removed, and new stops have been placed at the turning circle. These changes were outside our control.
According to data provided by the commercial team, the impact on passengers is expected to be minimal. On average, only one one-way trip per day was made to or from the affected stop, and the majority of passengers prefer service 37, which continues to serve Tomatin directly.
We appreciate the council’s concern for local accessibility and remain committed to ensuring reliable service for the community.”
