Plans submitted for RSPB field centre

Councillors will vote tomorrow on the plans, which are intended to provide office and teaching space and accommodation for those studying the Flows. The RSPB’s previous application was approved in January, but an underground heating plant has been added to the proposals.

The new plant room, which will be buried on the eastern elevation of the building, has been added to accommodate a biomass heating system and fuel store.

A report prepared by council officials has recommended approving the application, which was submitted on behalf of the Peatlands Partnership, which includes RSPB Scotland.

Peatlands Partnership project manager Caroline Eccles told the Press & Journal: “The proposed field centre, which will be built on a brown-field site, will make a major contribution to meeting the growing international interest in the peatlands.

“It will provide, for the first time, adequate research facilities for the many academics and researchers who wish to spend time in the Flow Country, as well as providing accommodation for them and for RSPB volunteers wishing to work on the Forsinard Flows nature reserve.

“By bringing in more people it will make a valuable contribution to the local economy and has been widely welcomed by many local people who wish to see the area put on a more sustainable financial footing.”