The blueprint for the New Lanark World Heritage Site's future has been criticised for ignoring proposals for a controversial quarry expansion nearby.
The Government's five-year management plan, released yesterday, promised to preserve the protected area but made no mention of an extension that opponents say could seriously harm the local environment.
Global cement company Cemex's proposal to extend its Hyndford Quarry into the buffer zone around New Lanark, adjacent to the historic viewpoint overlooking the Falls of Clyde, has been fiercely opposed by locals and some MSPs.
Professor Mark Stephens, leader of Save Our Landscapes, which opposes the plans, said it was a disappointing omission.
He noted the original application to become a world heritage site included references to the importance of surrounding countryside.
He said: "The nomination documents identified the landscape setting as being intimately bound up with the value of the site. It identified quarrying explicitly as a threat to the site and gave Unesco assurances that the site has been protected from quarrying. [Yet] there is no reference in the management plan to the threat posed by the proposed quarry. The threat is real. It is current. And it cannot be ignored."
South Lanarkshire Council is considering Cemex's proposals and has received more than 2000 letters of objection from residents in every postcode of the local authority.
New Lanark was established in 1785 as a cotton mill village and holds a special place in Scotland's cultural history after becoming the focus of Robert Owen's utopian socialism which involved providing residents with free healthcare and affordable education.
Launching the five-year management plan, Humza Yousaf, Minister for External Affairs and International Development, said the document would help celebrate the contribution of the village to Scotland.
He said: "New Lanark is a unique place. It teaches us a great deal about our industrial and social heritage and is very much treasured as part of our rich and varied historic environment.
"This plan will ensure New Lanark continues to not only realise its full potential but also continues to educate and inform us of life in 18th century Lanarkshire."
South Lanarkshire Council provost, councillor Eileen Logan, said: "The progress that has been made around the World Heritage Site in the last 35 years is remarkable. We also recognise that there is a need to develop and protect the site for future generations."
Proponents of the document said one key aspect is the action plan, which outlines measurable actions and outcomes which contribute to the management of the site and will be reviewed on an annual basis.
South Lanarkshire Council is expected to come to a decision on the quarry extension in late spring. Cemex has said that throughout the planning procedures it had consulted with all stakeholders, including Historic Scotland.
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