Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority has approved plans for a 10-year underground gold mine facility in Loch Lomond National Park, Scotland.
Cononish gold mine near Tyndrum is currently the only economic gold reserve in Scotland. The development covers 39 hectares and will include the underground mine, large processing/storage building and tailings management facility.
Annual extraction is projected to be approximately 72,000 tonnes of ore, of which 21,000 ounces of gold and 83,000 ounces of silver is expected to be recovered annually.
The project is expected to create 52 jobs over 10 years and contribute £80 million to the Scottish economy.
Developer Scotgold Resources will implement a 30-year management strategy, which will include extending an existing native Caledonian pine forest and restructuring the edges of the Forestry Commission plantation on the north side of the Glen through selective felling and new planting. There will also be improvements to soften the landscape impact of the Glen track.
Access will be maintained for walkers and climbers using the Glen which leads to the eastern approach to Ben Lui and to Beinn Dubhcraig and Ben Oss as well as winter ice climbing at Eas Anie.
The application was submitted in July 2011 after a different application was refused in 2010.
A number of conditions have been attached to the approved application, including extraction limits; the 30-year conservation plan for Glen Cononish; working hours limitation; traffic management; waste management plans; otter and bat surveys; river flow monitoring; blasting limitation to certain times and blast warnings; and financial guarantees for restoration if the mine is abandoned.
Commenting on the announcement, National Park convener Linda McKay said: “Without question this has been the largest and most complicated planning application we have ever had to consider.
“As guardians of some of the most stunning scenery in Scotland, it would have been easy to refuse the second application if we were considering the short term impact on the landscape but this National Park plans for long term conservation management and that includes having the vision to see beyond the temporary life of the gold mine. We also have to take into consideration the support from the local Community Council who back the proposals.”
She concluded: “Overall, as a board we understand that there will be a temporary loss to Glen Cononish’s special character but we have greater confidence that we can secure both long term conservation gain and economic benefits to the local economy and Scotland.”
