Community sports hub secures £400k support
The Inverness Caledonian Thistle Community Development is leading the £1.28m project, which will create five jobs and around 50 volunteering opportunities.
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The investigation, by specialist engineers COWI, was commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), which owns the facility, following safety concerns raised in a general inspection last autumn.
Engineers have concluded that the structure does not present an immediate danger to the public. However, the safety margin is lower than desirable and a series of measures should be put in place to address weaknesses before resumption of service.
COWI carried out the investigation between September and December last year, including excavating around foundations and intrusive investigations of the structure.
Work is required to strengthen the piers, beams and foundations, and install new bearings with higher load and movement capacity.
HIE is currently exploring the scope and cost of these works, and this is expected to take several weeks.
At the same time, HIE is commissioning an independent peer review of COWI’s report, in line with industry best practice for complex investigations of this nature.
Work on the structure of the funicular can only be carried out during summer months when the mountain is more accessible to contractors. It will therefore remain out of service for the remainder of the current winter season and throughout the summer months and possibly longer.
New snow making equipment began operating in December and is proving popular with beginners. Up to 100 skiers a day can access artificial snow on the lower slopes, and ski tows can provide uplift to higher parts of the mountain when there is enough natural snowfall and conditions are favourable.
Looking forward, HIE subsidiary operating firm, Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Limited (CMSL), is starting to develop a range of alternative options to offer summer visitors.
Susan Smith, HIE’s head of business development, said:
“We have considered carefully the implications of the investigation and concluded it will take considerable time to design, procure and complete the necessary works.
“Our goal is to have the funicular up and running as soon as is safe to do so, but in the meantime, we anticipate it will remain out of service throughout the summer months and possibly beyond. We will provide further updates as things progress.”
Ross Harris, interim chief executive of CMSL, added:
“Cairngorm Mountain is an outstanding all year-round tourist attraction. The funicular is of course a unique feature of Cairngorm, but there is so much more to experience. We are working hard to ensure that we continue to provide the best experience possible for our snowsports customers who can access the mountain using our network of tows and we are confident we can build on an already attractive offering for our summer visitors. We are focused on making Cairngorm Mountain a ‘must visit’ destination because we know that in doing so the resort will continue to provide economic benefits for the entire Strathspey area for years to come.”
The Inverness Caledonian Thistle Community Development is leading the £1.28m project, which will create five jobs and around 50 volunteering opportunities.
HIE’s application is for permission to establish infrastructure, such as roads and utilities, to create serviced plots for sale to developers.
Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Ltd has confirmed dates for essential annual maintenance on the funicular railway.
An adventure sports and tourism specialist is set to take on the top job at one of Scotland’s leading outdoor attractions.
Businesses in the tourism sector and its supply chain in the Highland Council area are being encouraged to secure a place on the Digital Tourism Support Programme.
A £1.6m project to boost the Easter Ross economy through net zero initiatives, community learning and development has been awarded up to £450,000 from HIE.
The move will help facilitate the company’s further growth. Its corporate and compliance team of ten will relocate to Aurora House, with the company’s operational base remaining in Beauly.
The Isle of Luing Community Trust owns and operates the Atlantic Islands Centre and is leading the £87,320 improvement project.
Project will help support economic growth and strengthen population retention in Caithness
The additional funding brings HIE’s total investment in the project to £2.863m.
The funicular railway at Cairngorm Mountain resort is set to return to service on Thursday 27 February.