THE landowners of the new site for T in the Park have defended the festival's organisers and are attacking their environmental critics, accusing them of inresponsibility.
The event in July attracts more than 80,000 people a day, but is moving to Strathallan Castle Estate in Perthshire because of an oil pipeline which runs underneath its established site near Kinross.
However Perth and Kinross Council has still not sent a date set for councillors to consider the planning application from festival organisers DF Concerts Limited.
Strathallan Estate has been owned by the Roberts family for more than a century.
Jamie and Debs Roberts are amongst the family members who still hold the woods and land and have reacted strongly to criticism from Woodland Trust Scotland and RSPB Scotland about the potential environmental impact of T in the Park.
The woodland trust had said the planned site of the festival was surrounded by 200 acres of "irreplaceable ancient woodland" and would result in an unacceptable amount of disturbance to wildlife including ospreys, otters, red squirrels and bats.
The RSPB meanwhile had warned the organisers had just days left to move a nest before the ospreys retuned from West Africa, after which it would be a breach of environmental laws to disturb them.
In a statement Mr and Mrs Roberts challenge the idea that the woodland had been classified as ancient.
They added: "As long-term conservationists, we are concerned that yesterday's irresponsible reporting of osprey nests will increase public knowledge of the location and could heighten the risk of damage to the birds.
"If the facts had been sought, RSPB Scotland and the Woodland Trust would know that the people responsible for managing the Strathallan ecosystem do not want ospreys to leave Strathallan, in fact we pro-actively encourage the birds to feed and breed here."
They were also surprised the RSPB had chosen to comment now . "Two months ago, they were specifically invited to engage with us on the management of the woods at Strathallan, yet no response has been received to date."
But a spokesman for RSPB Scotland said: "For the Roberts family to lash out in such a manner is clearly an attempt to paper over the cracks that reveal DF Concerts' poor and last minute organisation, with their consideration for wildlife at Strathallan something of an afterthought.
"This is not an example of best practice, and we expect much better for the organiser of an event of this size and impact."
Charles Dundas, public affairs manager from the Woodland Trust Scotland, said the woodland was included on the Ancient Woodland Inventory and on the first Ordnance Survey map of Scotland.
He said the trust would be happy to speak with DF Concerts and Strathallan Estate "to explain our position in more detail."
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