YOUR MONEY
Improving the outlook S
o often when we seek to maximise the value of an asset it can be the simplest and least expensive ideas that make the
WORDS BILL JAMIESON
‘Our roadside rest areas offer little more than overflowing bins and damp concrete cludgies. At last, though, change is in motion’
biggest impact. We are blessed in Scotland with fantastic scenic views which draw visitors from every continent – so how can we take greater advantage of this asset without intruding on it and spoiling it? Most visitors see Scotland from inside a car.
Thousands drive each year on our many scenic routes alongside lochs and rivers, stopping by the roadside to admire the views and take photographs. It is a pleasure enjoyed by both overseas tourists and locals. Well, up to a point: our lay-bys can be few and far between, and the experience of stopping at them is not always as pleasant as it could be. These rest areas have barely changed since
the 1930s: most are rough tarmacked parking areas with little more that an overflowing bin and a dank concrete cludgie, not always open. Too often these lay-bys were an afterthought,
grudgingly conceded, poorly executed and then left to decay. They were the product of public works road engineers, men who looked as if they ate cement for breakfast and for whom lay-bys were a dispensable nuisance. Scotland is littered with these disgraces. Why have we put up with this uninspiring and thoughtless approach for so long, letting ourselves down when it comes to showing off our country? The good news is that change and improve-
Clockwise from top: The winners pictured at the Falls of Falloch with Darran Crawford, National Park architect; Ruairidh Campbell Moir with his winning design; Sean Edwards, Daniel Bär and Stéphane Toussaint’s vision for Inveruglas; John Kennedy’s woven steel shelter at the Falls of Falloch.
ment is in motion. Pilot schemes are being rolled out this year that could transform the way visitors see and experience Scotland. It is all so simple – though it has taken young
architects in Norway to point the way forward. Three years ago Scots architect Peter Wilson invited a group of Norwegians to Edinburgh to give a presentation on how their country was enhancing its dramatic north-south scenic routes with imaginative stopping points, rest areas and viewing platforms. Several features made this project compel- ling. The first was the innovative approach
146
WWW.SCOTTISHFIELD.CO.UK
Placing attractive roadside viewing points at Scotland’s finest vistas has the potential to drive up visitor numbers dramatically
by the young designers who stepped up to develop their concepts and undertake the work. The second was the skilful way in which the stopping points were designed, to minimise building intrusion and work around local flora and fauna to achieve a natural and harmonising effect. Another was the low budget set for each project – an important consideration at a time of cuts to public spending (a series of big impacts for the smallest of outlays). And finally the idea that it was all perfectly appli- cable and exportable to Scotland. Here was a way of enhancing the tourist experience, of making our scenic routes truly memorable and encouraging repeat visits. So much for the simplicity and economy of
the concept. What of the execution? Progress there has certainly been since that initial presen- tation in Edinburgh. But it has taken three years to get finance in place, a competition organised and three pilot schemes selected. The project has been championed by Fiona
Logan, chief executive of the Loch Lomond national park, and Gordon Watson, the park’s planning supremo. It has won support from Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead, and finance (an initial £500,000) from Cabinet Secretary John Swinney. It has brought various supporting bodies on board, including Trans- port Scotland and VisitScotland. The competition for new designs, organised
by Peter Wilson and hosted by the Trossachs national park, brought forth no fewer than 90 submissions from young Scottish architects. Many showed stunning imagination in concept and design. Three of these submissions have now been selected for implementation. (A second competition is be held for sites on tourist routes in other parts of Scotland, with the Cairngorms national park to the fore.) The pilot phase will see installations in three
areas of the Trossachs, at Inveruglas, the Falls of Falloch and Loch Lubnaig – sites chosen for their unique scenic qualities. Building work is set to start early this year, and the entries will
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210