0:00:03 > 0:00:06The national parks are Britain's most beautiful landscapes.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14Rolling hills, wide lakes, panoramic views.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18They are places to relax and inspire you.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22In Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park,
0:00:22 > 0:00:26there are plans to turn this beautiful, tranquil glen
0:00:26 > 0:00:28into a large, noisy, industrial site.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34It's one of the most controversial developments ever in Scotland.
0:00:34 > 0:00:39It's a hugely industrial structure in the middle of a wild, wild landscape.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43- Is that the highest point?- Imagine it going out to where that flag is...
0:00:43 > 0:00:46..will deface it for evermore!
0:00:46 > 0:00:50Is it right to exploit this beautiful countryside
0:00:50 > 0:00:54to help struggling remote communities?
0:00:54 > 0:00:57The people of Tyndrum have been waiting for this opportunity
0:00:57 > 0:00:59to bring some prosperity to the area -
0:00:59 > 0:01:02please do not betray them.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04What is it that makes you feel tearful?
0:01:04 > 0:01:08I think it's the sheer anger.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12I spent a year filming in Loch Lomond,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15because I want to find out who this national park is really for.
0:01:15 > 0:01:21I can suggest a place where they can push their ivory tower where the sun don't shine.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35It's June 2010, and this is Tyndrum,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38a tiny village of just 160 people,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41at the northernmost point of the park.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Unlike many villages in the Loch Lomond National Park,
0:01:44 > 0:01:46it's not a tourist destination.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49The A82 from Glasgow to Fort William
0:01:49 > 0:01:54dissects the village - people just pass through on their way elsewhere.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Long journeys are broken at the Green Welly services,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01almost the only place to get a job in Tyndrum.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Many people are having to move away from the village to find work,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09and when they do, they leave behind a close-knit community
0:02:09 > 0:02:12centred around the village hall.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15It's quite simple - it's this, it's this,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18and then you release the hands and bring them back.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22Villagers fear Tyndrum is slowly dying,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25but there is something that might save it -
0:02:25 > 0:02:29something very precious has been found in the surrounding hills -
0:02:29 > 0:02:32gold.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Maybe now, people will be less likely
0:02:34 > 0:02:37to simply pass through Tyndrum.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Some people pass through faster than others! Ha-ha!
0:02:44 > 0:02:46John Riley has lived here for 30 years,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49and used to run a hotel in Tyndrum.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Now, his village could become home
0:02:52 > 0:02:55to the first gold mine in Scotland.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00- You're the leader of the community council.- Well, I'm the chairman.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04And I was one of the founders of it, 20 years ago.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07We imagine that the coming of the gold mine
0:03:07 > 0:03:10will lead to a lot of projects
0:03:10 > 0:03:13to enhance the village in various ways.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17The tree of life will be fully laden with fruit,
0:03:17 > 0:03:19if you want to put it that way.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23John hopes the gold mine will make Tyndrum
0:03:23 > 0:03:25a unique tourist destination.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27What's that, sorry?
0:03:27 > 0:03:32- It'll be across the road there. - What will?- The gold centre.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36- So that would really put Tyndrum on the map.- Well, that's what I see,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40and build a state-of-the-art mining interpretation centre
0:03:40 > 0:03:44which could attract tourists from all over the world,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47just as the one in Ballarat in Australia does.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Look at all the traffic we get here.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54We'd like a larger proportion to stop.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00- Have you heard about the gold mine? - Pardon me?
0:04:00 > 0:04:03- The gold mine.- Gold when?
0:04:03 > 0:04:06- Gold mine.- Gold mine - no.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08I don't speak English, I speak French.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11- I speak French.- I speak French.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20Visitors view Tyndrum rather like an airport departure lounge,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24a place to refuel or have a toilet break.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28They know nothing of the village's plight - or the prospect of gold.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32Do you know about this gold mine they're going to build here?
0:04:32 > 0:04:36- I don't know... I'm only visiting here.- I see, OK, right.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Yeah, I don't know anything about it.
0:04:40 > 0:04:46But the villagers are excited by the gold that has been found
0:04:46 > 0:04:48in the hills nearby.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52- And you're a fan of the gold mine? - Very much a fan of the gold mine.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Yes, very much.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57- It's not even been granted permission.- It will do, definitely.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59- You think so?- Yes.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03- Are you excited about the arrival of a gold mine?- Yeah, very exciting.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06It'll bring more tourists and hopefully jobs.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10- Do you like whisky? - Yes, of course I do.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Also like gold, and want the gold mine to go ahead! Ha-ha!
0:05:19 > 0:05:23'There are even plans afoot to sell a whisky named after it -
0:05:23 > 0:05:25'Tyndrum Gold.'
0:05:25 > 0:05:29I suppose it's an example of how the gold mine would become
0:05:29 > 0:05:31a bit of a tourist attraction?
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Yes, of course it would. It would... The gold mine would be a disaster
0:05:35 > 0:05:38to the community, if it doesn't go ahead.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43The gold mine is also welcome news
0:05:43 > 0:05:46to the few bed and breakfasts in Tyndrum.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50Chris and Angela Slater have lived in other parts of the world,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53but they've settled here.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57- People come from...- ..all over the world, from South Africa...
0:05:57 > 0:05:59- Scandinavia... - From Scandinavia, yes.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03We have Germans, Dutch, French, we have a few from Barcelona,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07New Zealand, Hong Kong...
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Falklands, we had Falklands the other day.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11From Delhi, er...!
0:06:11 > 0:06:17Chris and Angela believe the gold mine will bring extra visitors to the village,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20which their business desperately needs.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23I believe it should be allowed to proceed,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26because it means prosperity for this area.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28We do need prosperity.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32If we don't have prosperity, it will be the equivalent
0:06:32 > 0:06:35of the Highland clearances all over again.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39And we must learn from the mistakes of the past.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44'I think Chris and Angela see me as a potential customer.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48'They want to show me the en suite room.'
0:06:48 > 0:06:50You still want to be in the dark.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52We can put a light on.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56Is this the honeymoon suite?
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Um...yes! Kind of...
0:06:59 > 0:07:02- We don't make it a requirement. - We... Yes.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04It's a nice room, with a lot of light.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09I like, I must say, I personally like a custard cream.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12I agree with you, they're the favourite.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16But you also like, the, um, what's the other one, without the icing?
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- The, er...- The jam biscuit? No, not the jam one...
0:07:19 > 0:07:24- The gingernuts!- I can't help it, I have a weakness for ginger biscuits.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27- Yes!- Do you like, um, jammy dodgers?
0:07:27 > 0:07:32I don't know what a jammy dodger is, but I recall a Penguin biscuit.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46HE SHOUTS TO THE SHEEP DOG
0:07:46 > 0:07:49The land where the gold has been found
0:07:49 > 0:07:53is called Cononish Glen, and it belongs to John Burton,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56a farmer with a flock of 200 sheep.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Is there much money in sheep...sheep farming?
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Er, it's certainly much better this year,
0:08:08 > 0:08:13but the wool in itself is more or less worthless.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16So, do you still like the farming,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19or do you think you might give it up?
0:08:19 > 0:08:24Well, I would like to keep going as long as I'm reasonably fit.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26That's her.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32That fleece, by the way, is possibly worth about 10p.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35- Is that all?- That's all.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38- Did you grow up around these hills? - Yes.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42I was born in that old house over there.
0:08:42 > 0:08:47- The very old one, in the distance? - Yes, yes.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Just point out which bits that you...you own.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56Er, right along this hilltop here, just behind it,
0:08:56 > 0:09:01right up onto that high top, then right up onto the top...
0:09:01 > 0:09:05That side of that one, facing over there,
0:09:05 > 0:09:10and all of what you can see on this hill here,
0:09:10 > 0:09:15plus all that's going back that way.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17It's quite a lot.
0:09:17 > 0:09:22Yeah, it's quite a lot. You cannot gather all of the sheep off it
0:09:22 > 0:09:25in one day, that's for sure.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28'The gold mine company has agreed to pay John a rent
0:09:28 > 0:09:31'for mining on his land.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34'It's something he and his wife Deirdre
0:09:34 > 0:09:37'have been waiting a long time for.'
0:09:37 > 0:09:41- What are you making? - Well, I'm making some drop scones.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45We call them pancakes, but I think you in England say drop scones.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Ah. Do you enjoy a...a drop scone?
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Yes. Very good, lovely.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56I've got a whole folder of newspaper cuttings - would you like to see it?
0:09:56 > 0:10:00- Mmm, yes.- Cuttings over the last 25 years.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Some of them are extremely good.
0:10:03 > 0:10:08This is an article... my husband shares the front-page with Joan Collins.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10That was 1985.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12- Is that you?- That's me.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18I can see some of these articles portraying you as a man who's just struck it lucky.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23Do you remember when you first found out there might be gold in these hills?
0:10:23 > 0:10:28About as early as 1962, that there was spots of gold, flakes of gold
0:10:28 > 0:10:34in the river, but we never, ever thought it would come to anything.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36A geologist came to the house.
0:10:36 > 0:10:44Yes, that would be in 1983, so that's why I'm saying 27 years.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46There was a geologist came.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50He says "I represent a firm that would be very interested
0:10:50 > 0:10:55in drawing up an agreement with you." He didn't actually say what minerals he was looking for,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58but it transpired very shortly after that it was gold they were after.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03This early interest in John's land resulted in a gold mine
0:11:03 > 0:11:07being approved by Stirling Council back in the mid '80s.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Work began digging a tunnel into the hillside.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15But all that remains now is a nasty scar on the landscape,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18because back then the price of gold dropped dramatically
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and the mining company pulled out.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24The footing's a bit rough, obviously broken rock,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28and it might be muddy and wet, so watch where you're walking.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Now, with the price of gold at a record high, a new gold
0:11:38 > 0:11:42company is on the scene, and its managing director is Chris Sangster.
0:11:44 > 0:11:50- If you look above your head, you'll see what it's all about.- Ah.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55This particular part of the vein is running about 30 odd grammes a tonne, so that's quite rich.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59So you need a tonne of rock to get one of those out, approximately.
0:11:59 > 0:12:00Right.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02That's a lot of rock.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05- In terms of gold mining... - That's normal, yes.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07- That's high yield. - That's high yield, yes.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Ten plus is considered very high grade.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14What would... The first gold that comes from this mine,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18what will it be turned into, do you think?
0:12:19 > 0:12:20Money!
0:12:34 > 0:12:37It's July, and Chris's company Scotgold,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40which is actually from Australia,
0:12:40 > 0:12:44has taken over a tiny office up at Tyndrum railway station.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47His team have worked at some of the biggest gold mines in the world.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52This is Cononish.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Cononish is situated here, and we're sitting at the moment over here,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58- sort of about 4ks away from here.- Right.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02Each one of these effectively represents a potential prospect.
0:13:02 > 0:13:07The red bits there and the purple bits there are the interesting bits,
0:13:07 > 0:13:13so those are high grade outcrops or the gold-bearing structure.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17It must be great when you actually find a large amount of it.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21Well, I've worked in several gold terrains around the world,
0:13:21 > 0:13:26primarily in Africa, and I firmly believe that the values that
0:13:26 > 0:13:31we're getting here, they would stand up against most areas.
0:13:31 > 0:13:32- Really?- Oh, yes.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37The gold mine should make lots of money for Scotgold,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40and the villages of Tyndrum hope to benefit too.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45But during its ten-year lifespan, the spoil from the mine will be
0:13:45 > 0:13:49dumped on this beautiful glen, creating a huge tailings dam
0:13:49 > 0:13:54five storeys high, with a capacity to hold 830,000 tonnes of waste.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02It could for ever blight this remote corner of the National Park.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12It's a hugely controversial matter, and outside of the village
0:14:12 > 0:14:16lots of people and organisations are campaigning to stop the gold mine.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21The decision whether to approve or reject it will be made
0:14:21 > 0:14:24by the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority.
0:14:24 > 0:14:30Its headquarters is 40 miles away from Tyndrum in this £5 million
0:14:30 > 0:14:36state-of-the-art, ecofriendly structure, built out of sustainable Douglas fir.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38The decision notice went in May and we also sent a letter.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42Its leader is chief executive Fiona Logan.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46I genuinely see both sides of the argument.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48I know that's not what you want to hear,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50but I really do see both sides of the argument.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52I mean, I worked for Greenpeace for years,
0:14:52 > 0:14:57and I'm a huge environmentalist, conservationist, and I completely
0:14:57 > 0:15:02understand the argument that is posed by the conservation lobby.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04And I have a lot of empathy for it.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07But I'm also a businesswoman
0:15:07 > 0:15:09and I think Scotland's a bit stuck
0:15:09 > 0:15:13and I think we absolutely need to get a little less precious.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Fiona has just given her senior management team
0:15:16 > 0:15:21some psychometric testing to learn more about their leadership styles.
0:15:21 > 0:15:22She's a yellowy-red.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25In terms of when people are communicating with me,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27it says what not to do.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31"Talk with her using a low-key voice tone.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34"Be vague or leave things open to interpretation.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36"Leave her out of the picture."
0:15:36 > 0:15:38SHE LAUGHS
0:15:38 > 0:15:40I think it's wonderful.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43"Make your lack of interest in her problems too obvious."
0:15:43 > 0:15:47So basically, it's saying, cater to her ego and you're all good.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52I'm blushing, but it's absolutely... A lot of that's so, so, so true.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Touching distance from Fiona's desk
0:15:55 > 0:15:58is the head of planning, Gordon Watson.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01Gordon constantly gets challenged by the amount of times
0:16:01 > 0:16:03I interrupt him on any given day
0:16:03 > 0:16:07and wishes there was an office door to close between me and him.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12And when she's not here, her PA does exactly the same thing on her behalf.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14What colour is Gordon?
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Why don't you ask him?
0:16:18 > 0:16:21I'm a kind of greeny-blue.
0:16:21 > 0:16:22Greeny-blue?
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Which I think means I'm a collaborator,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28so I'm a diplomat.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32I think I try to find consensus and take people with me.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37Probably a very good disposition for a man who's in charge of planning applications.
0:16:37 > 0:16:38- Absolutely.- Yeah.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42A very good man to have on a team with a bright yellow-red
0:16:42 > 0:16:45like myself as well. He's the yin to my yang.
0:16:58 > 0:17:04At seven years old, Loch Lomond is one of the youngest national parks.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Even though the gold mine was given permission by Stirling Council
0:17:10 > 0:17:13in the 1980s, it needs to be approved all over again
0:17:13 > 0:17:19by a national park planning team with much more stringent guidelines.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22The gold mine application is open to public consultation
0:17:22 > 0:17:25and that means people can object to it.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28To many, the thought of a gold mine
0:17:28 > 0:17:32in a beautiful glen is quite abhorrent.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37One such organisation is a charity called the Friends of Loch Lomond.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41This group campaigns for the preservation of the park.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45But you're right. All that Loch Lomond side is recently planted
0:17:45 > 0:17:48and seeded trees that are probably not a very...
0:17:48 > 0:17:52Today, it's meeting to discuss the Scotgold application.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57The difference you have with the local community and ourselves
0:17:57 > 0:18:02and others like us is the short-term view and the long-term view.
0:18:02 > 0:18:08We must take the very long-term view of any development of this nature.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Whereas the local people, quite understandably,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14are looking at the short-term and what they can get out of it.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18Ten years' employment and no guarantee the jobs will go to locals.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21They would need some specialist mining engineers.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23Yes, there would be some jobs for locals.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26- Clearly, they would bring people from elsewhere.- Yes.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29It makes me think of one of the original points of ours
0:18:29 > 0:18:31which was that it's a national park. For goodness sake!
0:18:31 > 0:18:34It's a protected landscape and it's protected for a reason
0:18:34 > 0:18:37because it is precious. We can't forget that.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42Is there any danger that you're hankering after preserving
0:18:42 > 0:18:48a vision of the British countryside which is perhaps no longer relevant?
0:18:48 > 0:18:50No. So far as I'm concerned,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53and I'm sure I speak for the rest of us, we are not.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57What we're talking about is natural landscape
0:18:57 > 0:18:59and this is something
0:18:59 > 0:19:04that's not natural that's being planted on top...
0:19:04 > 0:19:05and spoiling.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Does that answer your question?
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Nearly all the organisations opposing the gold mine
0:19:18 > 0:19:21are from outside of Tyndrum.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24In the village itself, it seems everyone is for it.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30It's more like...
0:19:30 > 0:19:32That's a cap, isn't it? It's actually a hat.
0:19:32 > 0:19:33We don't have...
0:19:35 > 0:19:39- I'm afraid, I don't think we'd have one at this time of year. - Very nice that.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44But Mhairi, who has been working in the Green Welly for five years,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46tells me there is a fly in the ointment.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49I think there's only one member of the community
0:19:49 > 0:19:52that is openly not happy about it.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Everyone else is delighted
0:19:54 > 0:19:58and I think that's a good ratio, one to everyone else that's here.
0:20:01 > 0:20:07I'm intrigued to meet this one rebellious villager who doesn't want the gold mine.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11I track down Davey Hardy and find him washing his car
0:20:11 > 0:20:13outside his home.
0:20:13 > 0:20:19- It's a close-knit community. Do they know how you feel, the people here? - Most people do.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Has that gone down well?
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Well, in some quarters, I don't believe it has.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Perhaps I've been a wee bit overly sensitive,
0:20:28 > 0:20:32but sometimes I feel as if I'm being pilloried for having my views.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37But my views aren't just off the cuff. My views are informed views.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41I've read things. I have read the proposal.
0:20:41 > 0:20:46There are some things that I find quite questionable.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49I don't think Scotgold has done its homework.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53And I just feel that if you're against something,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56in my experience, then...
0:20:58 > 0:21:00..you're not so much shunned,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03I would say that you're looked upon unfavourably.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05- Really?- Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:21:05 > 0:21:11I can't speak on the behalf of everybody else, John Riley does that,
0:21:11 > 0:21:16but for me, thinking independently, I cannot think of one thing
0:21:16 > 0:21:18that the gold mine is going to give me,
0:21:18 > 0:21:24apart from restrictions to the hills that I love.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27That's the only thing that I can think of.
0:21:27 > 0:21:32I just feel that too much has been given towards making money
0:21:32 > 0:21:35rather than what it's going to cost in the long run.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38Decades to come.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41That's is how I feel about it.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Where there's gold, there'll always be a bit of a battle.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Yes. Where there's gold, there'll be greed.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55Will the gold mine rejuvenate a poor, rural community?
0:21:55 > 0:21:58Or will it devastate a beautiful, tranquil glen?
0:21:58 > 0:22:03At the start of August, two weeks before a decision on the gold mine is reached,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06the head of planning at the park authority, Gordon Watson,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09must make his recommendation to the board.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Gordon can advise the authority's board members to either approve
0:22:13 > 0:22:17or reject the application when they vote in a few days' time.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24I've had to look at the impact
0:22:24 > 0:22:26of primarily the tailings management facility
0:22:26 > 0:22:30which is the large structure that holds all of the waste material.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34You'll have a very regular, engineered shape in the landscape
0:22:34 > 0:22:37and while there will be vegetation eventually covering it,
0:22:37 > 0:22:41we don't think the restoration plan is going to do
0:22:41 > 0:22:43what Scotgold are claiming, in terms of...
0:22:43 > 0:22:46"You won't be able to see it on the landscape."
0:22:46 > 0:22:49We feel that you very much will.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53I have concluded that it really is contrary to the first national park aim
0:22:53 > 0:22:56which is about conserving the natural heritage of the park.
0:22:56 > 0:23:03And the economic benefits really don't outweigh that.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06And that's the reason that I've come to a recommendation for refusal.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13The park authority board doesn't need to follow
0:23:13 > 0:23:17Gordon's recommendation when it votes on the gold mine,
0:23:17 > 0:23:21but even so, his revelation will come as a terrible blow
0:23:21 > 0:23:24to the people of Tyndrum.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29I head back up to the village,
0:23:29 > 0:23:33wondering how the locals will come to terms with this shocking news.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38The leading campaigner for the gold mine
0:23:38 > 0:23:43is Tyndrum's community council chairman, John Riley. He's completely livid.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47I object very strongly to the objectors...
0:23:47 > 0:23:49The media descend on his house.
0:23:49 > 0:23:55Well, I think they're making too much of a minor environmental sort of problem.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57The farmer John Burton
0:23:57 > 0:24:02and some other villagers come over to discuss the disastrous news.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06It's amazing when we looked in the Herald this morning,
0:24:06 > 0:24:11we find, "Plans to reopen Scotland's only gold mine in a national park
0:24:11 > 0:24:19"have been dealt a potentially fatal blow after its planning chiefs said they should be rejected.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Absolutely incredible.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24And unbelievable. And short-sighted.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29In any sensible country, this opportunity would be grabbed with both hands.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34It better had be or else there's going to be World War III.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37My God, they try to take this away from us...
0:24:37 > 0:24:39They've got to be joking.
0:24:39 > 0:24:45But I cannot see it passing at all with the amount of literature
0:24:45 > 0:24:50that has come out from the planners against it
0:24:50 > 0:24:52and this has all been fed to the people on the board
0:24:52 > 0:24:54and I'm sure they'll swallow it.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58But it's up to us at the meeting on Wednesday to make our feelings
0:24:58 > 0:25:03very, very strongly felt in favour of the mine going ahead.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05We don't live in a wilderness,
0:25:05 > 0:25:10we live in small, rural communities, and we're fighting for survival.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13And here we are being kicked in the teeth, in effect,
0:25:13 > 0:25:15by a lot of environmental zealots,
0:25:15 > 0:25:21many of them ivory tower, because they don't live here, a lot of them.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23They've got ivory tower ideals
0:25:23 > 0:25:27and I can suggest of a place where they can push their ivory tower
0:25:27 > 0:25:30where the sun don't shine, basically.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32- Nice seeing you, ladies. - You too.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34I hope Wednesday goes well.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37Thank you, John. Thanks very much. Goodbye.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39See you later.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46It's the 18th of August and it's decision day for the gold mine.
0:25:46 > 0:25:4822 park authority board members
0:25:48 > 0:25:53are taken up to the site of the mine by Gordon Watson.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56He wants them to imagine the tailings dam
0:25:56 > 0:25:58in this beautiful landscape.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Obviously, the landscape section of the environmental statement
0:26:02 > 0:26:06of my report refers to the character of this glen...
0:26:06 > 0:26:11The board members are either elected councillors or government appointees.
0:26:11 > 0:26:12Is that the highest point?
0:26:12 > 0:26:16If you imagine that projecting out to where that flag is...
0:26:16 > 0:26:20- That's the extent of the top surface.- And then it drops from there...- 30 metres.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23The embankment starts and it gradually drops down
0:26:23 > 0:26:25to the orange flags at the very bottom.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29The board members will need to be convinced the operation won't damage
0:26:29 > 0:26:32or blemish this beautiful landscape.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35The height of the tailings dam above that point
0:26:35 > 0:26:37will be in the order of 30 metres.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40For Scotgold and the villagers,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44their fate is now in the hands of these people.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58The tiny village hall is filling up. It seems the whole of Tyndrum has turned out.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02The board members sit around the outside of the room.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06Even though Gordon has recommended the board refuse the gold mine,
0:27:06 > 0:27:11they can ignore his recommendation and vote in favour of it.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14The green is the Ben Louie nature reserve.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18The board listens as people give their case for or against the gold mine.
0:27:18 > 0:27:24Such a development might be considered to be appropriate outside the National Park - great.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27But surely cannot be considered within it, let alone in a prominent location
0:27:27 > 0:27:30beside a busy West Highland tourist route.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33We do need to strike a balance between the natural environment,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36conservation and sustainable development.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40Around £7-£10 million have been invested in the Cononish project,
0:27:40 > 0:27:43in which there has been significant local component.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47Anyone can register to speak, like this man who came over from Edinburgh.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52My name is David Seagrave, perhaps known as Peg Leg Dave.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55An amputee hill walker.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59At 69, I'm still belting up mountains with this.
0:27:59 > 0:28:06To vote a road to the mine will deface Cononish for evermore.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10Dorothy Breckenbridge runs walking tours through the glen
0:28:10 > 0:28:13and thinks the landscape should remain unspoilt.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16This highly exceptional
0:28:16 > 0:28:20and precious resource of wild land in a densely populated country deserves
0:28:20 > 0:28:24a much higher level of protection than it has been given to date.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28One of the board members questions her view.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30The landscape has changed and is constantly changing.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35Are these man-made things - for example the railway line at Glenogle with the beautiful valley -
0:28:35 > 0:28:37are they not an asset to you and your tours,
0:28:37 > 0:28:39do they not add a flavour to the work you do,
0:28:39 > 0:28:43do they not explain that man actually lives in this landscape?
0:28:43 > 0:28:50Yes, no, I would agree with you, but that is an historical perspective of things.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54It's a bit like saying... You could argue that slavery was fine
0:28:54 > 0:28:58300 years ago, but now it's not acceptable.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00It's about where we as a society...
0:29:00 > 0:29:09No, it's about where we as a society place our balance of how we are going to look after this land.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13I'm surprised. Despite Gordon's recommendation, I'm getting a sense quite a few
0:29:13 > 0:29:16of the board members are for the gold mine.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20What's unique is such an application has a wide local support.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22And that is something I have never experienced
0:29:22 > 0:29:24in my 15 years on the council.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28There's expectation in the room that the vote might still go against
0:29:28 > 0:29:31Gordon Watson and the park authority.
0:29:31 > 0:29:36Then it's time for John Riley and John Burton to speak.
0:29:36 > 0:29:37I'm shaking a bit.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39- You are doing fine, sir.- OK.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43It seems that the National Park Authority
0:29:43 > 0:29:47and their environmental associates want a beautiful museum,
0:29:47 > 0:29:51and we want a prosperous and fulfilling present and future.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53It seems appropriate to suggest that
0:29:53 > 0:29:57if these environmental Luddites had been influential
0:29:57 > 0:30:01in the 19th century there would be no steam engines,
0:30:01 > 0:30:03no railway lines and no viaducts.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06Please don't let this incredible opportunity pass by this
0:30:07 > 0:30:10remote, highly motivated community.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13It would break our hearts.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15John, OK, thank you.
0:30:15 > 0:30:20After five long hours, John is the first to get applause.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Yes, could I please turn this thing off because I don't need it?
0:30:32 > 0:30:35Mr Chairman, it is 27 years
0:30:35 > 0:30:39since I became aware of the possibility of a gold mine at Cononish.
0:30:40 > 0:30:41This morning, you have just visited the glen where
0:30:41 > 0:30:46I have lived all of my 74 years, sheep farming.
0:30:46 > 0:30:5139 hectares of poor acid land in an isolated part of the glen will,
0:30:51 > 0:30:54when planted with native trees and natural grassland,
0:30:54 > 0:30:58become an even better environment asset.
0:30:58 > 0:31:03The people of Tyndrum area have been waiting for this great
0:31:03 > 0:31:05opportunity to bring some prosperity to the area.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09Please do not betray them. Thank you.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19It's time to vote.
0:31:19 > 0:31:24Happy to proceed? Can I ask for a vote, and please keep your hands in the air
0:31:24 > 0:31:28if you are voting... until we get these properly counted.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30It's very close.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33OK. Could you tell us the decision?
0:31:33 > 0:31:35It's the decision of the committee to use
0:31:35 > 0:31:39the application for the reasons set out in Appendix 1 of the report.
0:31:39 > 0:31:44The gold mine is rejected by just 12 votes to 10.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48We want a motion that we want to come out of this national park.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53People are left stunned.
0:31:55 > 0:32:00A dream that began 27 years ago seems finally over.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03Eddie, good to see you.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07We'll see you. We did our best.
0:32:07 > 0:32:12- Did that go the way you hoped it would go?- Yeah, I'm delighted by the result we got today.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15It was really a landmark case for what National Parks
0:32:15 > 0:32:17are for in Scotland.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20Obviously the board voted with the officer recommendation,
0:32:20 > 0:32:23which is very much to take account of the conservation
0:32:23 > 0:32:26having greater weight than the economic benefit.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30Back at the Green Welly,
0:32:30 > 0:32:34Mhairi and her friends are stunned by the decision.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38It didn't cross my mind that somebody wouldn't want it.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41So, yeah, it was a shock.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44I just don't get these people who think
0:32:44 > 0:32:52they can make decisions for us. It's just not fair. It's not fair.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54- It can affect our lives.- Yeah.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58I think we all felt really, really let down.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01Very, very let down by the whole process,
0:33:01 > 0:33:04the whole National Park process has let us down.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07What is it that makes you feel tearful?
0:33:07 > 0:33:11I think it's sheer anger.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14Just the anger of the way we've been treated.
0:33:17 > 0:33:22The anger that National Park just don't care.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25They care more for the colour of the plants on the hillside
0:33:25 > 0:33:28than they do about people being able to live and work.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32They are perfectly aware of the public support, it was mentioned in the meeting.
0:33:32 > 0:33:37They just don't care...about the community, they don't care about us.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39I was gutted.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50The decision is particularly bad for Marie,
0:33:50 > 0:33:54because her husband, Gavin, works for the gold mine.
0:33:54 > 0:33:59Three weeks after the hearing, at the start of September, I meet up with him.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03He's panning in a stream a few miles from Tyndrum,
0:34:03 > 0:34:07as part of the relentless quest to find new gold seams in the area.
0:34:07 > 0:34:12But because of the rejection, he now only has a few weeks left to work.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15Can I ask you what is it you're doing there?
0:34:15 > 0:34:19Just sifting the gravel to get the finer stuff at the bottom.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21- That's what goes away for testing. - Ah.
0:34:21 > 0:34:27- Do you have any indication of whether there's any gold in there? - Absolutely not.
0:34:27 > 0:34:32We spoke to your wife, she was... Well, all the wives were very upset.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35- It's quite a difficult time, I suppose.- Uh-huh.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39We found out my wife was pregnant a week before the National Park
0:34:39 > 0:34:41decided to turn down the mine.
0:34:41 > 0:34:42- Really?- Uh-huh.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44So if we hadn't been given this work just now
0:34:44 > 0:34:46we would have moved away by now. Definitely.
0:34:46 > 0:34:51- Really? When is the baby due?- 14th April.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04Show that one because that one...
0:35:04 > 0:35:08It was probably the scariest week, I would say.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10You're terrified, you don't know what'll happen
0:35:10 > 0:35:13because it's not just the two of us to worry about any more.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16We'd probably not be here if you hadn't been kept on.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19So you would have given in your job at the Green Welly?
0:35:19 > 0:35:23I wouldn't have had a choice, cos Gavin wouldn't have had anything.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26I don't think the National Park should have that power.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29That was a shock to me, I didn't realise the power that they had.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32They've got their jobs, their great salaries.
0:35:32 > 0:35:38I don't think they care about the communities they're affecting. I believe that. I'm not being spiteful.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48I completely understand and I do see that within rural Scotland
0:35:48 > 0:35:51we need to be looking for every opportunity to get things moving
0:35:51 > 0:35:55and to get people into work and give our youngsters the opportunity...
0:35:55 > 0:35:58The chief executive of the park authority, Fiona Logan,
0:35:58 > 0:36:02does a radio interview about the gold mine rejection.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05Tyndrum's Community Council leader, John Riley,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08listens to a recording of it.
0:36:08 > 0:36:09And he's furious.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14Look, the lady has got a job to do,
0:36:14 > 0:36:17she's the chief executive officer of the National Park Authority.
0:36:17 > 0:36:22She has to follow the decisions and policies of the National Park board.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26I'm glad I don't have to do that, it would drive me insane.
0:36:26 > 0:36:30The way they reacted at that hearing.
0:36:30 > 0:36:37- I wouldn't trust them to run a chip shop.- A chip shop?
0:36:37 > 0:36:41I wouldn't trust them to run anything.
0:36:41 > 0:36:46It seems that... Particularly that hearing, it made me extremely upset.
0:36:46 > 0:36:51Saying that it was going to ruin the experience of West Highland Way walkers,
0:36:51 > 0:36:55when the West Highland Way is at least three kilometres away.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59It just shows to me that these people have never been there.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04John Riley feels his community has been let down.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07The community supports this gold mine...
0:37:07 > 0:37:09He's angry that young people in the village
0:37:09 > 0:37:12might now be forced to move away to find work.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15And for someone sitting in ivory towers,
0:37:15 > 0:37:17telling us what we can and can't do,
0:37:17 > 0:37:20they're becoming very unpopular here.
0:37:20 > 0:37:25So John Riley comes up with a radical solution to the problem.
0:37:26 > 0:37:31Tyndrum should come out of the National Park.
0:37:31 > 0:37:36After all, the gold mine had been given permission
0:37:36 > 0:37:40long before the National Park even existed.
0:37:41 > 0:37:47Throughout Tyndrum, other villagers appear to support John Riley.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52It's crazy to turn down prosperity.
0:37:52 > 0:37:53Ridiculous.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56- Who's for the hash brown?- Me.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59At the Slaters' B&B, it's a busy breakfast run,
0:37:59 > 0:38:02but the summer has been very slow.
0:38:02 > 0:38:03It's like haute cuisine.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07Oh, yes, we try and make it look nice and appetising.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10- There we go.- Lovely, thank you.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14The loss of the gold mine will not help their business.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16There's going to be many more letters
0:38:16 > 0:38:24sent to the park in support of the reopening of the existing gold mine.
0:38:29 > 0:38:34Scotgold's MD, Chris Sangster, has been keeping a low profile
0:38:34 > 0:38:36in his office up at the railway station
0:38:36 > 0:38:38and considering his position.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42But after a few weeks, Scotgold release a press statement
0:38:42 > 0:38:46announcing they are going to reapply for the gold mine
0:38:46 > 0:38:47with a smaller tailings dam,
0:38:47 > 0:38:52one that the park authority will find harder to refuse.
0:38:52 > 0:38:56The re-application means, once again, Fiona and her team
0:38:56 > 0:39:00must work with Chris to see if any solution is possible.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02Let's look at an idea of what you might like to see.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06How would you like to see it sitting in the landscape
0:39:06 > 0:39:08and what shape and what size?
0:39:08 > 0:39:11Visual impact is the main show-stopper for us.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15If it was halved again, then...
0:39:15 > 0:39:19That's essentially what we want you to get doing, something with...
0:39:19 > 0:39:22In my head, I'm branding it already as a baby dam.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26It seems strange to me that the gold mine might be back on the cards
0:39:26 > 0:39:30after the painstaking process that led to its refusal.
0:39:30 > 0:39:34But that is how the planning system works.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44The latest news spreads fast through Tyndrum
0:39:44 > 0:39:47and reaches the sewing club in the village hall.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52Are you ladies all excited about the gold mine, the prospect of it?
0:39:52 > 0:39:56- Oh, yes.- It'd be good if it gets going.
0:39:56 > 0:40:01Despite the unexpected turn of events with the mine re-application,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04John Riley is continuing to demand Tyndrum
0:40:04 > 0:40:06come out of the National Park.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08It's creating a strain between the village
0:40:08 > 0:40:14and the Park Authority, so, late in September, Fiona Logan suggests a meeting with John
0:40:14 > 0:40:17to try and defuse the situation.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20It gets off to a rocky start.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22There's no point knocking spots off each other.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25You've got a view, we obviously have a view.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29What we want to do is move forward and be as constructive as we can about moving forward.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32You know, the trouble is you're cutting me off.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34You're saying you shouldn't be in a national park,
0:40:34 > 0:40:38- and I'm saying...- You're asking me what my opinion is and I'm finding,
0:40:38 > 0:40:40I'm not very quick-witted these days.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42John, I apologise for cutting you off.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46- What I'm saying is it's the gold mine that's changed your opinion.- No.
0:40:46 > 0:40:51I can think of few ways in which the National Park has helped us.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54I think in the seven short years we've been in place,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57we've done a tremendous amount in your community, for your community.
0:40:57 > 0:41:02I was a strong supporter of this National Park from the beginning,
0:41:02 > 0:41:05but I did believe this equal balance
0:41:05 > 0:41:08between social economic and environmental,
0:41:08 > 0:41:11and it hasn't turned out to be so.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14OK, the decision didn't go the way you wanted it to go
0:41:14 > 0:41:19with the planning application, because we feel that the price was too high to pay, environmentally.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21It's the big TMF,
0:41:21 > 0:41:26it's 820,000 tonnes of slurry sitting a third of the way up on Munro.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28It's just not appropriate.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32We agree in protection of the environment.
0:41:32 > 0:41:37We don't want to destroy our heritage, our whole heritage,
0:41:37 > 0:41:42the wonderful scenery we live in, at any price.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47Yes, you do, actually. It's right there in the valley.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51From a very layman's point of view, can we get the stuff off the hill?
0:41:51 > 0:41:55It moves quickly, it could be piped.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57I asked precisely that question, could it be piped,
0:41:57 > 0:41:59and the answer was yes, it could,
0:41:59 > 0:42:02and that's talking about a little bit more investment,
0:42:02 > 0:42:04a teeny bit more investment, about money,
0:42:04 > 0:42:08the majority of which will go offshore to an Australian company,
0:42:08 > 0:42:11and a little bit more money coming back into Scotland
0:42:11 > 0:42:13to get it down off the mountain
0:42:13 > 0:42:16and put it into somewhere that's not as sensitive a landscape
0:42:16 > 0:42:21- because it's high up there. - We just have to find an answer.
0:42:21 > 0:42:22If we can get...
0:42:22 > 0:42:26Listen, I hope you can see that we're approaching this
0:42:26 > 0:42:28from a reasonable point of view.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31I would like to appeal ongoing that we can drop the "Ivory towers,
0:42:31 > 0:42:34"you don't know what you're talking about," lines
0:42:34 > 0:42:38that we're getting, cos it's not making me feel warm towards anybody.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43I think John's encounter with Fiona
0:42:43 > 0:42:45has left him a little lost for words.
0:42:45 > 0:42:51How can you expect to win against such an attractive lady?
0:42:52 > 0:42:54I don't know...
0:43:02 > 0:43:06The park authority is in a strangely paradoxical situation
0:43:06 > 0:43:07with the gold mine.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09Even though they rejected it,
0:43:09 > 0:43:13that doesn't necessarily mean they don't want it.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17All National Parks in the UK have a duty to help businesses
0:43:17 > 0:43:19and rural economies grow.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21But in a Scottish National Park,
0:43:21 > 0:43:24even greater weight is given to this responsibility.
0:43:24 > 0:43:29Have we embraced our socio-economic aim to the detriment of conservation,
0:43:29 > 0:43:31or is the balance about right?
0:43:31 > 0:43:33When I catch up with Fiona,
0:43:33 > 0:43:36at a conference on the banks of Loch Lomond,
0:43:36 > 0:43:39she and the authority's convener, Mike Cantlay,
0:43:39 > 0:43:43explain the reasoning behind this apparent dramatic U-turn.
0:43:44 > 0:43:49The hole in the wall of the hill is not the issue, it's the 820,000 tonnes of slurry.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52So there is a way of us mining gold in that place,
0:43:52 > 0:43:55without ruining the landscape impact.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58But it's still going to have a lot of landscape impact.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01Well, that's what we're looking at radical, though.
0:44:01 > 0:44:05But what the community said was, all right, you've made your decision,
0:44:05 > 0:44:10but now get back to work and go back to your four aims,
0:44:10 > 0:44:13and see if you can find a solution that gets a balance.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15And that's what we're working towards,
0:44:15 > 0:44:18and if we're successful in that at the end of the day,
0:44:18 > 0:44:24then that will be a real litmus test as to what National Parks
0:44:24 > 0:44:27can and should do for Scotland.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29It's still going to have a tailings dam, isn't it?
0:44:29 > 0:44:31Well, we don't know.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35This is what Scotgold need to go away and consider.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37They know what it looks like up there,
0:44:37 > 0:44:41they know that's the crux of the issue for us.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44So how radical they're going to be, I don't know just now.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51The park authority needs to try and help small communities like Tyndrum.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57If Scotgold can reduce the mine's spoil,
0:44:57 > 0:45:00and so make the tailings dam smaller,
0:45:00 > 0:45:05the park authority will be more likely to approve it.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15In October, Gordon Watson is invited back to the site of the mine,
0:45:16 > 0:45:20to see plans for a new, much smaller tailings dam.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23There, which would have been the toe of the original there...
0:45:24 > 0:45:27The changes seem quite dramatic.
0:45:27 > 0:45:28And now you're moving that up,
0:45:28 > 0:45:31so you're seeing less of the dam from that viewpoint.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34Certainly to me it looks better...
0:45:35 > 0:45:41Well, certainly the top surface reduction is quite unexpected.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45- That was before. - And then that would reduce...
0:45:45 > 0:45:49on the revised design. That's the top surface there.
0:45:49 > 0:45:55- Made an impressive change...- It has. - ..the contours that are given.
0:46:00 > 0:46:05A few days later, I meet up with Gordon and Fiona, at a hunting lodge.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08They've just received the revised plans from Scotgold.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11But it's not what Gordon's hoping for.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14So the top slice ones are just going slightly higher
0:46:14 > 0:46:20- but you can see still a big surface area...- Oh! That's... Yeah.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24The version I was shown on site, it was a bigger difference.
0:46:24 > 0:46:29It was something I thought we would maybe need to look at a bit more.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32It's still... So blooming frustrated about this
0:46:32 > 0:46:36because the conversations we've been having today have been...
0:46:36 > 0:46:39They've seemed really, really willing to be radical.
0:46:39 > 0:46:40And this isn't radical.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47Over the next few weeks and months, negotiations continue
0:46:47 > 0:46:51over the size of the mine's controversial tailings dam.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54But progress is tremendously slow.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07Throughout the year, the south of the park around Loch Lomond
0:47:07 > 0:47:10gets a lot more visitors than the north where Tyndrum is.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14Even in the winter, people still come here,
0:47:14 > 0:47:17to view the scenery and enjoy the solitude.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25- Have you caught anything? - Oh, you scared me to death -
0:47:25 > 0:47:27no, no, nothing yet, no.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31It'll be great when they put some fish in here, it'll be a lot better.
0:47:31 > 0:47:37- Do you enjoy the tranquillity? - Love it. Get away from the missus for a bit, you know what I mean(?)
0:47:37 > 0:47:39HE LAUGHS You know what I mean?
0:47:43 > 0:47:45Are you going to go and give up and see your wife now?
0:47:45 > 0:47:46Oh, aye, better had.
0:47:46 > 0:47:50Getting on. She wants to go and watch Dickinson's Deal.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00In January, back in the north of the park,
0:48:00 > 0:48:03the villagers are frustrated by the lack of progress over the gold mine.
0:48:06 > 0:48:12The farmer, John Burton, has already waited 27 years for the mine.
0:48:14 > 0:48:21I think the park authority have to get their reasons fairly correct and fair.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24Do you feel that they don't respect you?
0:48:25 > 0:48:27I don't...
0:48:27 > 0:48:31Well, obviously with the decision they made they DON'T respect us.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49For Fiona Logan, the chief executive of the park authority,
0:48:49 > 0:48:53it's about respecting the landscape as well as the community of Tyndrum.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57Look at that. Look at that!
0:48:57 > 0:49:00- What?- That! It's just wonderful.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03Sometimes the politics can get a bit on top of you,
0:49:03 > 0:49:08and this just takes you right back to what it's really about, which is,
0:49:08 > 0:49:10you know, us here, living within this,
0:49:10 > 0:49:13sustainably - not destroying it, enjoying it,
0:49:13 > 0:49:14and giving a bit back.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19We're working really hard with the applicant at the moment,
0:49:19 > 0:49:22and we obviously are very much trying to encourage them
0:49:22 > 0:49:24to think about the environment.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27And about the impact of this tailings management facility.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30And really it's... Time will tell.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37The park authority is holding out for a much smaller tailings dam.
0:49:37 > 0:49:41We're really, really trying to be helpful with this one...
0:49:41 > 0:49:43Yes. I'd not be arguing that point.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45Rather than just sweep it under the carpet.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48But a smaller tailings dam holds less spoil,
0:49:48 > 0:49:52and that means a smaller mine, and so less income for Scotgold.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55And that's the source of the tension.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58I am less bothered about a quick restoration job than the RIGHT one.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01I get the impression both sides
0:50:01 > 0:50:04are trying to see how far they can push the other one.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07I have to say that I disagree with you on that point.
0:50:07 > 0:50:11In February, Scotgold's environmental consultant
0:50:11 > 0:50:13Karen Dalgleish
0:50:13 > 0:50:16fears the park authority don't want the mine at any cost.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20Is it looking simply for reasons to refuse the application?
0:50:20 > 0:50:22That's my concern here.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26If this thing falls down because we can't agree on landscape matters,
0:50:26 > 0:50:29- that's not for want of... - Want of trying. Yeah.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37Time passes - and then, in the spring...
0:50:39 > 0:50:42Mhairi and Gavin welcome baby Emma into the world.
0:50:42 > 0:50:46Oh, no, we don't want that... We don't want crying.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49And at The Green Welly, there's also a new arrival.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51There you go.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55- What's that?- Tyndrum Gold.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57- Whisky.- That really is cashing in.
0:50:57 > 0:51:01Even before it's been granted permission.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04A sense of optimism is returning to Tyndrum,
0:51:04 > 0:51:07and I hear that negotiations are back on track.
0:51:07 > 0:51:11- We'll get the go-ahead. - Are you convinced?- Yes.
0:51:11 > 0:51:18A few weeks later, plans are finally unveiled in Tyndrum village hall
0:51:18 > 0:51:21for a mine with a new, smaller tailings dam.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24The intention is to reproduce,
0:51:24 > 0:51:26as far as possible, what is there.
0:51:26 > 0:51:30If this satisfies the environmental zealots, then that's good enough.
0:51:30 > 0:51:34Are you both optimistic, or is one more optimistic than the other?
0:51:34 > 0:51:38Oh, no, we've got to live as if it's going to happen.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41But we can't spend as if it's going to happen. That's the problem.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43BOTH CHUCKLE
0:51:43 > 0:51:45There is a lot of optimism amongst the villagers here,
0:51:45 > 0:51:50but I can't help thinking, "Haven't we been here before?"
0:51:50 > 0:51:53I'm really looking forward to hearing the good news.
0:51:53 > 0:51:57- Are you as optimistic as these two? - Yes, I'm sure it'll be granted.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00I don't think they have any option but to grant it.
0:52:00 > 0:52:04- Did you think that the last time? - Oh, yes, yes...
0:52:06 > 0:52:12Six months later, at the end of October, a new hearing is called
0:52:12 > 0:52:16to decide the fate of what will be Scotland's only gold mine.
0:52:18 > 0:52:20Just like the first hearing over a year ago,
0:52:20 > 0:52:24the Board members are taken up to the site of the mine workings.
0:52:24 > 0:52:29You can get an appreciation that the final 339-level TMF
0:52:29 > 0:52:32will be rising above the tree-belt there.
0:52:32 > 0:52:37Two weeks ago, the Head of Planning at the Authority, Gordon Watson,
0:52:37 > 0:52:40revealed his recommendation to the Board.
0:52:40 > 0:52:44There will be trees around the development, but...
0:52:44 > 0:52:47Last time, he recommended rejection.
0:52:47 > 0:52:52But this time round, there's a change. Gordon wants the mine.
0:52:52 > 0:52:56Looking at the benefits, the Caledonian pine being extended,
0:52:56 > 0:52:59more tree-planting would need to go down in the area...
0:52:59 > 0:53:01Once the mine's finished,
0:53:01 > 0:53:04we're going to have a better glen than we started with.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07Has it really changed that much from a year ago?
0:53:07 > 0:53:11- The TMF is less than half the size. - Is it?
0:53:11 > 0:53:16It's better designed into the contours of the site.
0:53:16 > 0:53:21The one before was a large straight-lines-engineered structure.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24It couldn't be restored, it would never look natural,
0:53:24 > 0:53:28over the long-term. Whereas what we have now
0:53:28 > 0:53:31is something that'll look a lot more natural when it's restored.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36We can't take responsibility...
0:53:36 > 0:53:38Because of intense public interest,
0:53:38 > 0:53:42the hearing has been moved to the slightly bigger village hall,
0:53:42 > 0:53:43of neighbouring Crianlarich.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47Once again, a now familiar process begins to unfold.
0:53:47 > 0:53:53A year ago, the Board members followed Gordon's recommendation.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56- But will they this time? - We have problems here.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58Houses are not selling,
0:53:58 > 0:54:04one bed-and-breakfast has been on the market for three years.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08Our local hotel is in receivership.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12I want to live here, but the area is slowly dying.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15The young are leaving in search of jobs.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17Are you trying to create a wilderness
0:54:17 > 0:54:19where people are not encouraged to live?
0:54:23 > 0:54:28And in excess of 50 million into the National Economy in many forms
0:54:28 > 0:54:32making a useful contribution to our national economic recovery.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35This project has the potential
0:54:35 > 0:54:38to pay for the operation of this National Park.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43We hope the National Park Authority will approve this application
0:54:43 > 0:54:46and enable this highly-motivated rural community...
0:54:49 > 0:54:52I'm sorry... To achieve its full potential.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55It's an opportunity to demonstrate that Scotland
0:54:55 > 0:54:59and this National Park are truly open for business.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02The Commonwealth Games are taking place in Scotland in 2014.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06Wouldn't it be great if the gold and silver medals
0:55:06 > 0:55:11contained Scottish gold or silver, mined at Cononish? Thank you.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15APPLAUSE
0:55:18 > 0:55:23Can I invite your views? Are there any counter-proposals?
0:55:41 > 0:55:42(If there's no counter...)
0:55:42 > 0:55:47I'm assuming then, if there are no counter-proposals,
0:55:47 > 0:55:51that the Board is in support of the recommendation as it stands.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54Can I ask you to give us a show of hands
0:55:54 > 0:55:58to make quite clear your support for that proposal?
0:56:06 > 0:56:10- David, can you confirm the count? - I can confirm a count of 16.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14- It's all present. - I take it then,
0:56:14 > 0:56:18that that recommendation is approved unanimously.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20- Thank you very much indeed. - APPLAUSE
0:56:41 > 0:56:46- Did you expect to get emotional? - Yes, I can't help but get emotional.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50But I just...
0:56:50 > 0:56:54The weight of the last year, you know, just...all disappeared.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56How do you both feel?
0:56:56 > 0:57:01We're delighted, but more relieved than anything, I think.
0:57:01 > 0:57:03LAUGHTER
0:57:03 > 0:57:06Just delighted. It's such a weight off our shoulders.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09- Congratulations, Gavin. - Excellent, about time!
0:57:14 > 0:57:18Maybe I'll come and live here too one day!
0:57:18 > 0:57:21- Are you two friends now, then? - We've always been friends.
0:57:23 > 0:57:25Friends with differences.
0:57:25 > 0:57:29Fiona was a little bit upset with me when we met on the 3rd September.
0:57:29 > 0:57:35- Frustrated!- But I think we've got a better understanding now.
0:57:35 > 0:57:37What do you like about Fiona?
0:57:38 > 0:57:40I fancy redheads for one thing.
0:57:40 > 0:57:45You're not supposed to say that! BOTH LAUGH
0:57:45 > 0:57:47Best of luck, have a great future.
0:57:47 > 0:57:52- Thank you. - It'll be a golden future, I'm sure.
0:57:52 > 0:57:55A great day for Scotland as well and the tourist industry.
0:57:55 > 0:57:59- Yes, all right then. Take care. - Thank you. Bye-bye.
0:57:59 > 0:58:02When I first arrived in Tyndrum over a year ago,
0:58:02 > 0:58:04it was a place people just passed through.
0:58:04 > 0:58:09But the gold mine has given the villagers something very precious.
0:58:09 > 0:58:10It's given them hope.
0:58:28 > 0:58:31Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd