ESTATE ACTIVITIES
CASE STUDY TWO: DAVID FYFFE, FETTERNEAR ESTATE
David Fyffe has big plans for the Fetternear Estate near Inverurie, but he knows from experience that a large part of land management nowadays also includes managing the expectations of the local community. That’s why he puts great store in consulting with people who have an interest in what goes on at the estate. Fetternear estate has some 250 acres of contract- farmed arable and 200 acres of grazing, with the rest of the estate taken up with ancient woodlands of silver birch. However, a big attraction of the estate are the fine avenues and driveways which run past the ruins of the Bishop’s Palace, once the country seat of the bishops of Aberdeen. David said: “We receive about 5,000 visitors a year and we’re comfortable with the access situation. We have signs at all the entrances to say we welcome responsible visitors and the large majority are. Indeed, many have a proprietorial attitude to the estate, even going so far as picking up litter and clearing snow from the paths. “The downside is that they take considerable interest in what’s going on and sometimes this can
cause problems. For example, we are in the forestry business in a very small way so we need to harvest our Sitka spruce
and larch – but to the layman this looks like wanton destruction of nature!”
David has been putting together an estate plan for inclusion in Aberdeenshire’s local development plan and has spent a good deal of time running community consultations as part of this process to explain his ideas and gather feedback.
He has three main development aims: stabilise the ruins of the Bishop’s Palace; attract more businesses on to the estate through the redevelopment of the old stable block, and develop housing on the estate to help cross-fund these projects as well as more leisure facilities for the local community. David has also agreed to build a pedestrian bridge across the Don to improve access to the estate and is considering other ideas suggested by locals such as allotments, an adventure garden and the development of sports fields.
2 ‘You’re Welcome’ website last year.
This enables estates to publicise their activities for free to encourage public participation and it’s gaining a growing following.
SRPBA Access Officer Anne Gray explained: “After taking calls from recreational groups over recent years, I realised that there was a real lack of understanding about what goes on in estates and how they contribute to the countryside . That’s why we worked with the SEBG to create the ‘You’re Welcome’ site to support our members. “It’s a great way for estates to promote their activities on the internet for free, so we hope an ever-increasing number of our members will use it. “It’s a case of being proactive and getting your messages out there.”
And don’t be worried – this research suggests that you’ll be knocking on a door that is largely open!
LB
Visit
www.enjoyestates.org for more details on publicising your estate.
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LANDBUSINESS ISSUE 36 JUNE-JULY 2010
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