Freedom of Information Request - Stobo Hope
Date: 17 April 2025
Our ref: SIR179600/A5100988
Information Request – Stobo Hope
Your Request
‘Please could Nature Scot provide all correspondence between itself and the following organisations in relation to the Stobo estate in the Scottish Borders (if any) since 5 November 2024:
- Scottish Forestry
- Scottish Government
- Scottish Ministers
- MSPs
- The Trustees of the Forestry Carbon Sequestration Fund - Apex Fund Administration (Guernsey)
Ltd
- The Forestry Carbon Sequestration Fund
- True North Real Asset Partners Ltd
- Euroforest Silviculture, the new trading name of Pryor and Rickett Silviculture Ltd
Please could NatureScot provide any other correspondence from any other organisations (if any) in relation to the Stobo estate since 5 November 2024.
On 26 December 2024, the Scotsman published an article 'Fox hunting licence to protect black grouse rejected for controversial 700-hectare Scottish Sitka forest' (attached)
In this article, a spokesperson for True North Real Asset Partners claimed 'Nature Scot insisted on a predator control plan as part of our planting application'. Please could NatureScot clarify if this is true or not? Does NatureScot have any record of this claim? if so, please could you provide the correspondence for this.
The spokesperson for True North Real Asset Partners then claims 'the firm would wait to be guided by NatureScot on how they proposed to protect the black grouse'. Has True North Real Asset Partners asked for, or received any guidance from NatureScot in relation to black grouse?
Our Response
Following a search of the information we hold our response is below.
All correspondence between itself and the following organisations…?
Other correspondence from any other organisations (if any) …?
This is attached separately.
Two of reports referred to in the attached correspondence have been provided to you previously in response to an earlier FOI request in March 2024. For ease of reference, the information associated with this earlier FOI response, which includes the relevant reports, is also attached separately.
We have marked out (redacted) personal data in the documents provided. Releasing the personal data into the public domain in response to an access to information request would breach the Data Protection Act 2018. We are therefore withholding the information under EIRs Regulation 11(2) (Personal data).
Predator control plan?
A predator control plan was submitted with a Licensing application on 11 March 2024. There is no record of this being requested or required as part of the Hunting with Dogs licence application. Please note that the licensing department does not deal with planting applications.
Black Grouse guidance?
The licensing department does not hold any records of being asked for, or sending, any guidance in relation to black grouse to True North Real Asset Partners.
To note, further information about the proposal is available from the Stobo Hope Forest website.
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
Document downloads
Due to accessibility issues the attached information, referenced above, is available on request by contacting the FOI team at [email protected]. Please reference the case number (starting with SIR).
