Peat protection plan for Cairngorm funicular repairs

The railway has been closed since September 2018

Peat will have to be temporarily removed and streams may be diverted to protect the environment during repairs to the Cairngorm funicular railway, a report says.

The UK's highest railway has been closed since September 2018 due to structural problems.

A planning application for repairs includes proposed measures to reduce environmental harm.

It says the mountainside will need to be monitored for a decade.

The railway connects a base station with a restaurant and a ski area 1,097m (3,599ft) up Cairn Gorm mountain near Aviemore.

Its construction required the use of helicopters in an effort to limit damage to the mountain environment.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise, which owns the 19-year-old funicular, has submitted a planning application for repairs including a consultant's report on environmental impact.

It says soil would have to be carefully stripped away and then put back in place during the repair work.

Streams may also need to be diverted to prevent them from being polluted.