A TOTAL of 41 leading public figures yesterday published an open letter to Scottish Secretary Michael Forsyth calling on him to intervene in the debate over the proposed #17m Cairngorm funicular railway.
The signatories, led by Sir David Attenborough and including botanist Professor David Bellamy, mountaineer Sir Chris Bonnington, broadcaster Bill Oddie and Greenpeace executive director Lord Melchett, want Mr Forsyth to draw all interested parties together to thrash out a compromise.
The letter comes after the Government made it clear on Monday that it had no plans to call in the application from the Cairngorm Chairlift Company and hold a public inquiry.
The signatories highlight the outstanding importance of the Cairngorms - particularly their wildlife, landscape and recreation value - and regard it as highly regrettable that permission could be granted for the funicular railway.
They add: ``We urge you to call in this planning application and ensure that development in the northern Cairngorms is determined only after a strategic assessment of all alternatives and is consistent with the principles of sustainable development.
``The current proposals, in our view, fail in these respects, and we urge you to intervene to ensure a secure future for what is arguably the UK's most important area of wild land.''
The letter is on the notepaper of the environmental umbrella group the Scottish Wildlife and Countryside Link which has 31 member bodies.
Its chairman, Mr Michael Scott, said yesterday: ``We do not think a public inquiry is the way forward, because it would be conducted under the adversarial system which would result in a recommendation that either the development should go ahead or that it should not.
``I believe we could make our case effectively in an inquiry.''
Meanwhile, the Cairngorm Chairlift Company and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are working towards the June 26 deadline for applications under the European Objective One programme.
The application will be submitted by HIE, but to make this date the legally-binding section 50 agreement on environmental controls and visitor management must be signed.
Scottish Natural Heritage has agreed that they are ``minded'' to withdraw their objection to the funicular - but only if the Section 50 is completed successfully.
If that is done the Highland Council can proceed to give planning permission without the need for a public inquiry and the Scottish Office could approve HIE's additional funding package.
If section 50 is not completed, SNH's objection would stand and the Scottish Secretary would call in the application with a public inquiry likely.
Mr Tim Whittome, managing director of the Cairngorm Chairlift Company, said last night: ``I think that, given the present status of our planning application, the suggestions made in the letter are not really very helpful.
``I wish some of the people who have signed the letter would come and find out more about what we are proposing. Then they might see things a little differently.''
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