Forestry Commission Scotland to Close Kirkton of Durris Office

A public meeting to discuss the closure of the Forestry Commission site at Kirkton was held on 8 November.  FDF expressed its opposition to the closure of the site, but FCS has insisted that they will not reconsider their decision. This past summer, FDF learned that an internal review had been made and that the FCS Area Land Agent had provided a possible value of over half a million pounds for the Kirkton site if it could be sold with planning permission for executive housing. FDF immediately informed FCS of their opposition to such a plan, citing the terms of the FDF Constitution and the nature of the Joint Management Agreement between FCS and FDF. FCS has repeatedly stated that no final decision has been made about the future of the site, but they have also noted that if it is to be sold, they are obliged to realise the greatest possible value. Sale of the site for executive housing would be the most profitable option, thus FDF feels that early action must be taken to develop an alternative to this.

FDF provided their assessment of the options available for the site. The people attending the meeting expressed their unanimous rejection of any plan for executive housing, although one person did think that there was a need for affordable housing in the area. There was also no support for any commercial development.

FDF outlined its own plan to create an educational centre for the study of forestry and aquatic ecology, local history and archaeology. The centre would prepare educational research modules for academic institutions. Kirkton Wood is an ideal area for such a centre: Kirkton has a good mix of tree species and age. There is evidence that the site had long been used for growing hardwoods for buildings, and some of these ancient trees still remain. The area is rich in history, being part of a mediaeval royal hunting forest. In addition to the Old Bridge of Sheeoch, there is a Bronze Age burial cairn and other evidence of early settlement. The site is bounded on one side by  the Burn of Sheeoch (a tributary of the River Dee which, under the European Habitats Directive, has been granted the status of a Special Area of Conservation because it is one of the best areas in the UK for otters,  freshwater pearl mussels, and Atlantic salmon).  In November 2000, FDF made a Planning Permission Application for just such an activity at Kirkton, but it was not acted upon by the Council. Recently FDF contacted the Planning Authorities to obtain their views on this use of the site. At the Public Meeting there was enthusiastic support for the FDF plan. Also, the Crathes, Drumoak, and Durris Community Council has expressed its support. FDF hopes that the plan can be implemented with the full co-operation and participation of FCS, but are fully prepared to pursue this course of action unilaterally should FCS reject the plan. 

While FDF is committed to working together with FCS  to resolve this situation,  the community was assured of its intention to use all the legal remedies available under the terms of their Joint Management Agreement with FCS to oppose the sale of Kirkton for development.  If need be they are prepared to undertake the acquisition of the site for the community using the Land Reform Act or the National Forest Land Scheme.

Pitcowdens project gathers pace

This FDF effort has taken some time to move forward.  After protracted discussions with Forestry Commission Scotland, it was mutually agreed that the site of the original croft and its fields should be developed as a species rich oasis in the Durris block. The Sitka spruce have been felled, leaving an open area within the original field boundaries, which are still delineated by dry stone dykes, although much in need of repair.  There is an attractive beech avenue leading to the site of the original house and steading. 

At the AGM Dan Cadle and Julia MacKay outlined a general plan for the area and invited people to make suggestions. The site lends itself to habitat improvement. Part of the area was originally left open and the grass was regularly grazed by deer. There is a small stand of young sycamore and some more mature beech near the croft site.  More bird life is to be found in this area than any other comparable acreage in the Durris Forest. Current ideas for the site involve clearing up the area around the house and steading so that the remaining foundations are clearly visible. Efforts are being made to gain as much information as possible about the history of Pitcowdens. Currently it is known that it was continually crofted from the first part of the 19th Century until the middle of the last century, but as the name is of Pictish origin, it is expected that it has been a place of human habitation for millennia.

There is a good spring on the site and this could be used to create a wetland area. The fields may be reinstated as species rich meadows that will attract birds.  Plans have already been made to plant locally grown native trees around the borders of the site. The public were invited to join FDF in a tree planting session on the third of December.

Renewed interest in the Old Bridge of Sheeoch

This bridge is located just upstream from the South Deeside Road bridge at the Kirkton of Durris. The old bridge has long been used as a pedestrian crossing of the Burn of Sheeoch. Historical accounts give evidence that there was some sort of crossing for almost a thousand years.  It is possible that part of the current bridge is mediaeval in origin.  The bridge has continued to be an important crossing for the people of Kirkton, as the road bridge can be unsafe for pedestrians.  While people were still using the bridge in 2000 when FDF first took an interest, part of the bridge had fallen away and there was risk of a major collapse. We contacted the owners, Dunecht Estates, with a view to undertaking a joint effort to save the bridge. At that time, the Estate was not inclined to put any resources into a restoration project but agreed to let FDF seek funding.  Aberdeenshire Council was aware of the condition of the bridge and commissioned a structural report in late 2001: The report was highly pessimistic and advised that the bridge was dangerous and  could collapse at any time. FDF approached Historic Scotland for funding, but they were not interested. We then began a process of seeking funds from other bodies.  Unfortunately during this search a substantial portion of the bridge collapsed after a particularly violent storm. Residents of Kirkton are now forced to cross the Sheeoch on the main road bridge. 

The Council's interest in the bridge has been rekindled in recent months. FDF was contacted by  Donald Macpherson from the Transportation and Infrastructure office, and a site visit was made.  Subsequently, Mr. Macpherson was invited to give a presentation at the 2006 AGM.  He expressed the Council's interest in creating a community body which could promote the restoration of the bridge.  The body would be led by the Northeast Buildings Preservation Trust. He expressed his view that the bridge may have much earlier origins than had been previously thought and that the bridge had been widened at some point to take cart traffic. The only way to be certain of the age of the bridge would be to make an archaeological survey.  If the survey confirmed that the bridge is medieval in origin, it would be much easier to obtain funding for a restoration. FDF has agreed to make a contribution of 200 pounds toward the cost of a survey.  A great deal of interest was expressed by those attending the AGM. The importance of the bridge as a safe means of crossing the Sheeoch Burn  was stressed by several people and it was felt that the Council should take responsibility for assuring the restoration.  Mr Macpherson explained that as the Council did not own the bridge, it had no direct control over the situation. It was agreed that this could best be achieved by a co-operative effort and that FDF would be prepared to take a major role. This was agreed by all attending the AGM, and the Crathes,  Drumoak, and Durris Community Council (who have also provided FDF with a grant to be used toward efforts to restore the bridge) gave support to the plan.

AGM votes in new Board

FDF Board was re-elected unopposed at November 2006 AGM. Feel free to contact any member of the board to discuss issues relevant to the Durris Forest area.