Scotgold expects to get Tyndrum green light

Scotgold Resources, the Aim-quoted firm behind the scheme, is confident that it will receive the green light after its first application was narrowly rejected by the National Park Authority Board in August last year.

Today’s recommendation is likely to inform the outcome of a vote on Scotgold’s second planning application by the board on 25 October.

Scotgold chief executive Chris Sangster has been in intensive discussions with the park and other opponents of the project for more than a year, and several major changes have been incorporated in an attempt to alleviate environmental and cosmetic concerns.

He stressed that a lot of progress has been made since last summer and the positive signals received from the park’s advisers and other stakeholders led the firm earlier this year to withdraw an appeal of the first application to Scottish ministers. “We wouldn’t have submitted another application if we didn’t think we had a good chance of success,” Sangster told The Scotsman.

John Bentley, the company’s chairman, said the fact that Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) had not, on this occasion, openly opposed the project gave him particular cause for optimism.

“One of the big differences this time around is that SNH is not objecting to the development as such – it has just made a technical point about one of the restoration issues which can be overcome.”

Scotgold had hoped to have the mine up and running as early as this year but received a major blow when the national park’s director of planning, Gordon Watson, last summer delivered a damning judgment against the mine just weeks ahead of the board’s first vote.

Scotgold has recently received the support of a number of national tourism and business groups, including CBI Scotland, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Scottish Tourism Forum and the British Jewellers Association.