News that the dualling of the A9 will not impact on one of Perthshire’s major tourist draws has been welcomed.
It has been revealed that the proposed section of the A9 between Pitlochry and Killiecrankie will leave the venue for the popular Enchanted Forest sound and light show in Faskally Wood unscathed.
Local business owners breathed a sigh of relief that the annual autumn event, which draws tens of thousands of visitors and generates £2.5 million for the local economy, is unaffected.
“This is wonderful for Perthshire, The Enchanted Forest is a great driver of the local economy,” said Councillor John Kellas, convener of the enterprise and infrastructure committee.
“The figures for visitors increase year on year, now they can continue undaunted.”
Last year the organisers had warned that if the new road encroached on Faskally Wood they might be forced to move to another venue.
It has now emerged that the design team has taken on board these concerns and the preferred route for the over four mile stretch of the road will be unveiled to the public on Wednesday (3pm to 7pm) and Thursday (11am to 4pm) in Pitlochry Town Hall.
Keith Brown, cabinet secretary for the economy, jobs and fair work, said the design team faced significant challenges.
“The A9 dualling programme is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Scotland’s history,” he said.
“On this stretch of the road our design consultants have worked hard to identify a route that avoids any impact on the area of ancient woodland in Faskally Wood, well-known as the home of the popular Enchanted Forest event that attracted over 70,000 visitors this year.
“The preferred route also avoids the need for a new structure over Loch Faskally and will lead to less disruption for road users during construction.”
Other positive factors are that it is the least expensive option and is easier to build and requires less traffic management during construction.
A spokesperson for The Enchanted Forest said: “The Enchanted Forest Community Trust welcomes the announcement from the Scottish Government about their preferred option for the route and, along with the rest of the community, looks forward to seeing the full detail of the proposals when they are released at the public presentation in Pitlochry.”
