Freedom of Information Request - Stobo Hope
Date: 08 January 2026
Our ref: SIR182849/A5648034
Information Request – Stobo Hope
Your Request
‘Please could NatureScot provide all correspondence between itself and the following organisations in relation to the Stobo Hope Woodland creation scheme in the Scottish Borders (if any) since 11 August 2025:
- 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
- Stantec Ltd, or any related company, believed to be the ecological consultants acting for Euroforest.
- Any other company or entity.
Please ensure (if NatureScot has received these yet) all ecology reports and bird surveys are provided.
It is understood that the proposed Stobo Hope woodland creation scheme is undergoing an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA); has NatureScot sent all required information to Scottish Forestry and any other party in relation to the EIA? Has NatureScot received all required information from Scottish Forestry and other parties in relation to this EIA? If 'no' to either of these two points, what information is still due to be sent and received by NatureScot in relation to the EIA?’
Our Response
Following a detailed search of the information we hold we have identified a number of documents relevant to your request. These are attached separately.
We have marked out (redacted) personal data in the documents provided. Releasing 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). We have also redacted a small amount of information outwith the scope of your request.
The reports included in the attached were provided to us in a redacted form; we have not applied any additional redactions to these reports. They are also publicly available from the Stobo website.
We have sent all the required information to Scottish Forestry in relation to the EIA in issuing our response to the most recent consultation (9 December 2025). However, the EIA is still underway, so more correspondence is likely. We cannot provide a timescale for this.
Our landscape guidance referred to in one of the attached emails.
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 file size 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).
