Author: Strathdearn (Page 7 of 90)

[Last November, timber haulage from Glenkirk was suspended after breaches of the agreed Timber Traffic Management Plan (TTMP). SCC requested a review of the TTMP for 2026 with Roundwood Transport Services (RTS) who manage transport, planning and scheduling for forest owners. RTS have responded with the following letter]

There are still around 3600 tonnes sat at roadside within Glenkirk, which equates to roughly 150 lorry movements or 5 weeks of haulage.  I would like this to be cleared before we do any further haulage (April to May).

A tender has gone out for this years harvesting program, in which we are proposing to fell 27ha, giving a volume of around 8500.  This would equate to 3 months haulage at full capacity but invariably this will run over, and I suspect we would be looking for the haulage to be completed by the middle of September (May – Sept).  The proposed harvesting this year will be very dependant on the timber market, which is suppressed.

My RTS colleague Emily Gerrard, who has been dealing with the forest management within Glenkirk for several years, and she would be the RTS representative and make any necessary changes to the TTMP that the community deem fit.  As an example weekend haulage needs to be included, to close out a current perceived grey area.

[Received by SCC. Still no community policeman for Strathdearn]

Introduction, followed by download link

The last few months have continued to be busy for the Community Beats Team and City Centre Police Team. We have been focusing on drugs and antisocial behaviour by supporting our drug units with intelligence and warrant execution, working together with other agencies to reduce antisocial behaviour, and targeting key areas in the communities for speeding. We continue to support our local schools and encourage them to contact us with any issues. Our focus recently has been social media talks, encouraging respectful and safe usage due to inappropriate use across both primary and secondary schools in the area. In the city centre there was an increased focus on shoplifting, and we continued to work together with other agencies to reduce the impact of antisocial behaviour. There have recently been some tragic incidents in Inverness, and we have been providing reassurance patrols in the communities affected.

Due to unforeseen poor weather conditions in the Tomatin area, these works have been postponed for 1 week. Please see the updated dates of these works below.

Overnight traffic signals will now be on 26 February and the junction and link road will be opened on 27^th February. 

From Friday 27 February 2026, the existing Tomatin junction on the A9 will close, and a new temporary junction will open nearby as part of ongoing work on the A9 Dualling: Tomatin to Moy project. This follows the successful realignment of the A9 at Tomatin in December 2025.

Overnight Traffic Management – 26 February

Temporary traffic signals will be in place on the A9 at Tomatin for one night from 19:00 on Thursday 26 February until 06:00 on Friday 27 February. These traffic signals are required to complete the final stages of the junction repositioning.

Junction Changes

The current junction will remain in operation until the new temporary junction becomes operational on Friday 27 February, at which point the existing junction will close to use. The new temporary junction is located approximately 400 metres south of the existing Tomatin junction and will be clearly signposted. The new temporary junction will remain in use until the new Tomatin underpass is completed and comes into operation in late 2026.

Access will be maintained at all times for residents, visitors, Tomatin Distillery, Strathy Snacks, as well as properties in the area and emergency services.

There will be no changes to the existing NCN7 pedestrian and cycle route, which will continue to operate as normal throughout the duration of the works.

Bus Stop Relocation

From 27 February, the northbound and southbound bus stops currently on the A9 at Tomatin will be permanently relocated to the bus turning circle near Tomatin Distillery. All scheduled bus services, including the 37 and the school bus to Millburn Academy, will use the new bus stop location. The X37 service will not stop at the turning circle and will continue to Carrbridge and Aviemore.

Results of your feedback on Glenmarkie and Glenkirk wind farm proposals

In January, Strathdearn Community Council (SCC) asked for your opinions on two new windfarms around Strathdearn – Glenmarkie and Glenkirk. The survey received 49 responses which were compiled into a report (download link at the end of this article).

The report summarises opinions on both proposals and an accompanying map provides a very visual appreciation of the scale of applications in our area. There is also an Appendix which include all comments made, anonymised of course, which is included for the sake of interest and transparency. 

The report will be sent to the Energy Consents Unit (ECU). ECU is a specialized branch of the Scottish Government’s Energy and Climate Change Directorate. Its primary role is to manage and process applications for large-scale energy infrastructure in Scotland. After reviewing all evidence and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), the ECU provides a recommendation to Scottish Ministers, who make the final decision.

SCC asks that ECU consider this new report, not in isolation, but in conjunction with the previous report on 6 other proposals for wind farms at Balnespick, Clune, Lynemore, Highland, Kyllachy, and Carn na Saobhaidh.

Galileo Empower invites you to attend a drop‑in session for the proposed Lynemore Wind Farm.

Galileo submitted a Section 36 application to the Scottish Government for Lynemore Wind Farm in May 2025. In January 2026, the proposals were updated to remove two turbines and revise the access route. We are now returning to the community to re‑consult on these changes.

These will be informal drop‑in events where members of the project team will be available to talk you through the updated documents and answer any questions you may have.

Event details

Thursday 26 February 2026 – 14:00 to 18:00
Strathdearn Hub, Tomatin
IV13 7YN

Friday 27 February 2026 – 09:00 to 14:30
Farr Community Hall
IV2 6AX

We look forward to hearing your views.

Neil Thomson

Project Manager

[SCC has received the following message from Matthew Magee of Premier Woodlands. Feedback should be sent to strathdearncc@gmail.com]

Good afternoon,

Garbole estate is proposing to carry out a clear fell operation within the forest holding, the area has suffered significant storm damage over several years. An important part of gaining approval for this operation is to consult with interested parties, to this end I welcome any comments you may have in relation to the application.

Below is the location and site map the grid reference for the site is NH735250.

I would appreciate any feedback by 2/3/26

Regards

Matthew Magee MICFor

[from SCC]

As most will be aware, we currently have a defibrillator situated outside the main entrance to the hall. The community council are currently looking into purchasing 4 new defibs that will be located in and around the village should they ever need to be used in an emergency.

We have also contacted a local charity regarding basic community defib training and understanding and we await their response. In the meantime, should anyone require further reading on defibrillators please see the link below. We will update everyone as soon as we are ready to install the other devices in the village.

https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/defibrillators/understanding-defibrillators-what-they-are-and-how-to-use-them

Easter Breakfast with Easter Bunny, Community Fun Run, and Spring Market – all coming to Strathdearn soon!

Easter Breakfast:

Easter Breakfast Invitation for All IV13 Families

We’re excited to welcome all IV13 families to a fun-filled Easter Breakfast at Strathdearn, Tomatin on Saturday 4th April, from 10:30am to 12:30pm.

Entry:

£2 per person

£6 for families of 4 or more

To book please click the link below:-

https://forms.gle/AQ6WjZTuJxBfSG2Y9

Your ticket includes:

Delicious morning filled rolls

Unlimited tea, coffee, and fresh juices

Crafts for all ages

A movie on the big screen

Face painting by Pam Hardwick

A magical Easter Egg Hunt in our community woodland

It’s the perfect way to celebrate together as a community. We’d love to see you there

Community Fun Run:

Are you up for the challenge?

Join us for the SCD Community Fun Run – 10K / 5K in aid of MND Scotland, held in honour of Jimmy Duncan, a true community gem.

All funds raised will support MND Scotland.

Route:

We’ll be following the same route as last year!

10K: Starts at The Strathdearn, up to Balvraid Estate, and back.

5K: Starts at The Strathdearn – run, jog, or walk at your own pace!

Saturday 23rd May 2026

Registration: From 10:30 AM at The Strathdearn

Start Time: 11:00 AM

All participants will receive a t-shirt (optional) and running number.

After the run, enjoy burgers and soft drinks back at The Strathdearn!

Entry Fee:

IV13 Residents: Adults £15 | Children £5

Non-IV13: Adults £20 | Children £10

(Includes t-shirt and post-run burger & drink)

Register here:

https://racebest.com/races/ve4vy

Sponsor link (for supporters):

https://www.justgiving.com/…/strathdearn-community…

JustGiving Team Page (for participants who want to fundraise):

https://www.justgiving.com/…/strathdearn-community…

Share far and wide – every donation truly makes a difference!

Please note:

Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult during the run.

Any questions? Email events@strathdearn.org

We look forward to welcoming you to our third community fun run for a fantastic cause!

SCD held its annual AGM on Monday 9th February. Members requested the slide presentation be made available. You’ll likely get the info you want from the image browser below. However the text of some slides overflowed outside the image (an effect of using different software) so a link to the original Powerpoint presentation is also included below.