Freedom of Information Request - SSSI Consents for Organised Events
Date: 12 March 2025
Our ref: SIR179023/A5030983
Information Request – SSSI Consents for Organised Events
Your Request
I would like to register a Freedom of Information request for the following information on SSSI consents:
1. Location - any SSSI in Central and Northern Highland Areas
2. Time frame - from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2024
3. Activity - any organised foot event for 50 or more people (please include events with multiple activities, such as triathlon, but not ones where any form of motorised activity is required other than as support).
I would like to know the number of events and their size using the SOAC guidelines for medium and larger scale events, in each of the given years for which consent was granted using:
1. ORC 27 - recreation likely to cause damage to site features
2. ORC 11 - the destruction, displacement, removal or cutting of any form of vegetation
3. Any other ORC.
I would also like to know how many of the consents, stratified by size and ORC, relate to events that contain checkpoints, marshalling or any other form of temporary presence on the ground, and how many, stratified by size and ORC, were for events with no on-the-ground presence other than the participants on foot.
Our Response
Following a search of the information we hold our response is below.
Based on the locations (NatureScot North & Central Highland Areas) and the time frame (January 2018 – December 2024) requested there were 44 consents granted which relate to organised foot events for 50 or more people. These are summarised in the tables below. Please note, consent is issued to the SSSI tenure the event crosses, so many consents may be issued for an event.
| Event size | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large 200+ | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| Medium 50>200 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Total | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Event size and ORC | Presence on the ground | No on the ground presence |
|---|---|---|
Large 200+ ORC 27 | 11 | 10 |
Medium 50>200 ORC 11 | n/a | 8 |
Medium 50>200 ORC 26 | 3 | n/a |
Medium 50>200 ORC 27 | 11 | 1 |
| No. of consents total | 25 | 19 |
How We Handled Your Request
We believe you have asked for environmental information as defined in the Environmental Information (Scotland Regulations 2004 (‘the EIRs’), so we are dealing with your request under those regulations. To be able to use the EIRs, we must apply an exemption under section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (‘FOISA’). The Scottish Information Commissioner’s guidance recommends that public authorities apply this exemption to environmental information and handle request under the EIRs.
If you would like to find out more about the access to information legislation, there is a guidance booklet available on the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website.
Review and Appeal
I hope this information meets your requirements, but if you are dissatisfied with how we have responded to your information request, please write to us within 40 working days explaining your concerns. You can contact us at Battleby, Redgorton, Perth, PH1 3EW or email us at [email protected]. We will carry out a review of our response and contact you with our findings within 20 working days.
If you are not satisfied following this, you can make an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner within 6 months. The Scottish Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Yours sincerely
FOI Officer,
NatureScot
