April 28 2015

Highland Council are set to give the green light to controversial plans to build an RSPB field centre near the Forsinard Flows peatbog for the second time, following inclusion of an underground biomass heating plant and fuel store.

This followed concerns raised by Melvich Community Council whose members sought to reduce emissions from the centre, which will offer office and teaching space as well as accommodation for people studying the area.

Drawn up for the Peatlands Partnership by Colin Armstrong Associates the scheme will be built on the site of an existing bungalow and outbuilding and is intended to boost the number of visitors to the remote spot.

In their design statement the architects noted: “It was felt that given the two storey arrangement and the fact that the existing site was of a sloping nature it would be beneficial to ‘dig’ the building in to the site. This reduces the impact of the mass of the building upon its surroundings when viewed from the A897 by minimising the ridgeline in relation to the top of the hillside and tree line behind.”

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