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Etape, The Council & Local Business
Etape Caledonia Plans:
Firmer plans for a cycle marathon on May 18 next year will be announced in mid-December by Etape Caledonia, the organisers.
Kevin Stewart, who would be running the event for Etape, made it clear at the 5 December steering group meeting in Aberfeldy town hall that the firm will oppose any but the most minor changes.
He said he had chosen May because it was outwith the period when farmers would be making silage, and so far the council had received no objections to the suggestion of May 18. He argued large numbers of people will return who came last June, and many new visitors would be attracted from England to the benefit of most local businesses. He predicted celebrities would begin taking part and that it would become popular for charity fund raising.
Mr Stewart said the start and finish had to be in a large population centre like Pitlochry with enough accommodation for participants and spectators. Contrary to suggestions the 81mile route does not lend itself to being changed about. He had examined the idea of running the event in the opposite direction, or from Aberfeldy, as some had proposed, but the Scottish Executive would not allow the road closures needed, though he agreed to question it directly about this.
The Etape boss announced only one major change from last June’s trial run, the axing of the shortened route along the south side of Loch Tummel, as this had proved less popular than expected.
Etape’s website is announcing a start time of 8am until 8.45. Entrants would have to keep to a speed above 12mph to get round the course before roads reopened. But in response to complaints, they were now considering upping the speed to 13mph which would allow the length of time roads were closed to be reduced by 20-30 minutes.
Mr Stewart firmly rejected an idea from local councillor Ken Lyall, that a start time of 6am should be considered. He said marshals, doctors and nurses would have to be out on the route at 4am in the dark which was a safety issue, though he might be able to bring the race forward by 30-45 minutes but the downside would be that some visitors and locals staying in the area would have to leave even earlier in the morning if they wanted to avoid the closure period.
The Council Decides:
The controversial decision of P&K’s Enterprise & Infrastructure Committee to back the event at its 28 November meeting was prompted by behind-the-scenes pressure from Etape and the council’s events planning team that time was running out if it was to be held next May.
Waiting until January, as many had expected, would have given Etape less time to promote the event and improve on its disappointing level of participation in June of little more than a 1000 entrants.
But taking the decision prematurely, during the consultation process, has left many questions unanswered about P&K’s democratic accountability. On 23 October, E&I Committee convenor John Kellas emailed critics of the event with this assurance: “The final decision will be taken by members who balance their decision on all facts, concerns and their understanding of economic benefit, downsides, social issues etc.”
Part of that process of ‘understanding the economic downside’ was the Aberfeldy town hall meeting of local businesses on the evening of 28 November which C’llr Kellas attended. Some people were opposed to the event if it meant closing roads rendering many businesses inaccessible. Even businesses in the area on roads that were open reported a huge drop in business last 24 June. As one said: “Effectively the area shut down because visitors were deterred from coming to Highland Perthshire that day.”
All this had been pre-empted by the E&I meeting that morning. This: “Approved in principle the staging of the 2008 Etape Caledonia subject to conditions.” It promised a financial package “to support the event, businesses and communities in Highland Perthshire...with 18 May as the preferred date.”
Cllr Kellas’s claim it was only a decision ‘in principle’* to carry on consulting perplexed many later at the steering group meeting. It has to make sure the council’s conditions are satisfied - including adequately dealing with the problems of local businesses. It is unlikely to meet for two months, after the E&I committee meets again to give its final decision to Etape Caledonia.
* Dictionary definition of ‘in principle’: agreement with regard to fundamentals although not concerning details
Local Business Reacts:
Anger is mounting among a substantial number of local businesses that P&K is paying only lip service to the process of consultation, a repeat of what happened in advance of last June’s event.
Many at the steering group meeting on 5 December were disappointed that more pressure was not being put on Etape Caledonia to make the impact of the road closures less drastic. However, there are strong feelings that holding the event at any time in the tourist season is wrong if roads have to be closed throughout Highland Perthshire.
Among those badly affected are Wendy and John Mattingly of Cluny House Gardens who will be forced to close at one of their busiest times. Wendy described the relationship between Etape and the council as the “tail wagging the dog”. She attended the meeting of businesses on 28 November and found that nothing positive came out. The meeting she said was marked by the “sheer frustration” of those attending.
Ben Henderson, Bunrannoch Guest House believes there is considerable anger and suspicion that the Council has decided to continue this event regardless of the negative social impacts. He said: “From my own experience and contacts with local businesses I am convinced that the damage caused to businesses is being underestimated by the Council on a scale similar to the exaggeration of the claims of potential benefits made to promote the event and extract public funding in the first place.”
Jon Wheeler at Perthshire Paintball commented: “Once again bad communication to the local community and bad representation will mean a bad feeling when the event goes ahead and, with the roads closed, we can’t get to our businesses, churches or leave our houses.”
Also concerned at the impact Steve Thomas of water activity company Freespirits. He commented: “I have about the same amount of information as I had last year and it would appear to me that no lessons have been learnt… we have been left completely uninformed whilst a number of closed door meetings take place and they starts taking bookings for next year’s event.”
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