| Chair's report - First of all let me offer my apologies for the delay in publishing this newsletter. A lot has been happening over the last few weeks, including our involvement with the submission to the Heritage Lottery Fund of the OchiIs Landscape Partnership application, and that has taken up a lot of time. However, Clackmannanshire Council has now submitted the Stage 2 application and the Friends of the OchiIs agreed to sign the Memorandum of Understanding that accompanied the documentation. Without a signed Memorandum of Understanding the application could not have proceeded. Approval of the lottery application is expected in September, but meanwhile work is ongoing to formally constitute a company limited by guarantee which will manage the landscape partnership. There will be five directors of that company, two of whom will be the chairs of two task groups that are being established to assist with the management of the partnership. FotO is a member of the Project Delivery Task Group, with particular responsibilities for the Hillfoots Way Project (see Nicki Baker's article for more information). The Hillfoots Way Project enjoyed a lot of support from various parties and received a 'green light' in the OchiIs Landscape Partnership submission. Many thanks to Nicki for leading on this project; it neatly links, both physically and conceptually, many of the other partnership projects. It also has the potential to be extended in the future to encompass footpaths through the Ochils to the east of Glendevon. Of course nothing is new under the sun; I was intrigued to find in the archives a draft of the 1986 Clackmannanshire District Council Hillfoots Area Local Plan a reference to a footpath between Crook of Devon and Blairlogie, i.e. a Hillfoots footpath!We continue to be involved in the aftermath of the decisions to approve three windfarms in the OchiIs at Greenknowes, Lochelbank and Burnfoot Hill, and the disastrous decision to give the go-ahead to the Beauly to Denny power line. Nicki's report on the power line gives a strong sense of the anger and frustration felt by those who have put in so much effort to achieve solutions that don't cause widespread damage to Scotland's landscape and the Ochils in particular. Alison Graves' article on the problems faced by a local community when trying to ensure that a developer adheres to the conditions placed by the Reporter at the Public Inquiry is a salutary reminder that Councils do not always act robustly in this respect. We may be facing a similar situation now that Clackmannanshire Council has approved the application to bring the grid connection from the Burnfoot Hill windfarm down the track above Rhodders Farm. Friends of the Ochils submitted an objection, but approval nevertheless was given. It is subject to numerous conditions and it is now incumbent on Clackmannanshire Council to ensure that they adhere to them and no visible scar remains on the scarp face of the OchiIs above Alva. We will be keeping a careful eye on that development. Construction has now commenced on the Burnfoot Hill windfarm, but it got off to a bad start with the erection of very poor notices relating to access. As a result of complaints, the Access Officers of both Clackmannanshire and Perth & Kinross Councils have negotiated improved notices. Construction on the windfarm is due to end in February 2011, after which the beautiful views northwards from Ben Cleuch and elsewhere will be spoilt for at least the next 25 years. I trust that many of you were able to enjoy this year's spectacular winter, which provided so many opportunities for walking and skiing in the Ochils. However, the wonderful weather had its downside. Having had the opportunity to help out during lambing on an Ochils hill farm, I experienced first-hand one of the most difficult starts to the lambing season, with the loss of many ewes and their lambs. It was a reminder of the many facets of life in and around the Ochils and how nature can bite back even when the hills are looking their best. Stuart Dean
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