Extract from letter dated 1 July 2007 from the Duke of Rothesay to the former First Minister I am extremely grateful to you for your offer to help with the Business in the Community/Scottish Business in the Community proposals for a Climate Change seminar which, I understand, is being proposed for late October/early November. My office will, I am sure, keep your staff informed as the event takes shape. While writing, I also wanted to express my heartfelt thanks to you, in particular, for enabling the Scottish Executive's donation of £5million towards the purchase of Dumfries House to take place. As you are no doubt aware, this project has had a difficult and frustrating history, but I was determined to bring together a consortium in order to ensure that this vital part of Scotland's heritage and history was not only saved for the nation, but that it may now become a focal point for the regeneration of the South West of Scotland. I could not be more grateful to you for your help in all of this and wondered whether you might be able to join me when I visit the House with Johnny Bute on 13th July? Extract from letter dated 11 July 2007 from the former First Minister to the Duke of Rothesay I am keen to provide Scottish Business in the Community with all possible assistance with the proposed Climate Change seminar in the autumn and look forward to receiving more information about the event in due course. And finally, I am delighted that we were able to assist with your excellent initiative to save Dumfries House and its contents for the Scottish nation and look forward to touring the house with you on 13 July. Extracts from letter dated 16 November 2007 from the former First Minister’s private secretary to the Deputy Private Secretary to the Duke of Rothesay Thank you for your letter of 5 October. We have been in touch more recently about the various items of action following the First Minister’s discussions with His Royal Highness. Agriculture and Environment I understand that a meeting with Richard Lochhead and Michael Russell is planned for January in Ballater. St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG www.gov.scot  Extracts from letter dated 7 June 2008 from the Duke of Rothesay to the former First Minister St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG www.gov.scot  3. I didn?t have a chance to raise the issue of Kinloeh Castle 'on the Isle of Rum with you, but as you know my Regeneration Trust has been working with Scottish Natural Heritage (the owners) for the past four years to ?nd an acceptable, imaginative solution to the problem of this remarkable house which has bedevilled S.N.H for so long. Having worked tirelessly to bring all the parties together and to achieve consensus on the way forward, this effort has come to nought. However, S.N.H. has recently sought authority from the Scottish Government for surplus receipts from asset disposals to bra-converted to a grant ill-faVDUI? of the Kinloch Castle Trust (circa ?2 million). Apparently, the Scottish Government Finance Department of?cials have not ruled this out, but have stated it could not happen until the Autumn Budget Review. If it were at all possible, my Regeneration Trust is most keen to have the opportunity to meet Mike Russell to discuss the way 4. Glen 0? Dee Sanatorium, Banchorv We brie?y discussed. this, however I did not have a chance to explain that a speedy decision is urgently needed due to the rapidly deteriorating condition of the building and the need to undertake urgent repairs. My Trust is a partner in a consortium of three building preservation trusts which has a viable scheme for the reuse of the building and the consortium would be willing to enter into a back-to-baok agreement with Aberdeenshire Council I should a? Compulsory Purchase Order prove necessary. I Thank you again for your kind attendance and your very kind words at the built environment conference, as well as at Dumfries House. Your presence was greatly St Andrew?s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG Extracts from letter dated 4 July 2008 from the former First Minister to the Duke of Rothesay St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG www.gov.scot  Glen 0"Dee Sanatorium, Benchory- A's work carried out by the Prince?s Regeneration. Trust and others recognises, Glen O?Dee is of special architecture-lend historic. significance and this is recognised by. its listing at category A I know that the Prince?s Regeneration TrUst'end the National Trust for Scotland believe that the building could be adapted to allow a viable new use. The possibility of reusing the building in. ihis way was a key factor in our decision tooell-in? the application for listed building con-sent A parallel planning application. will be called in at the same time. Allow me. to explain the process fer'assessing these applications: the case for planning and listed building consent will be initially be by a Reporter from'the Scottish Government?s Planning and Environmental Appeals. unit, with the final decision then taken by Stewed Stevenson, my Minister for Trans-pert,_ infrastructure a nd Climate Change; It has not yet been decided whether this process will take the form of a full public local inquiry or whether-i1: will be determined by written submissions pull am oer-"lain that-the. Prince?s Trust and the National Trust for Scotland?s Contribution to this-process alongside Historic Scotland will be most valuable. The ?nal decision will then rest with .S-eot?iieh Ministers, it Was, e'e ever, a pleasure to meet your Royal Highness aleol'y'rood Palace and i do hope the iniotmetion I have provided is helpful. St Andrew?s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3'36 Extract from letter of 15 August 2008 from the Duke of Rothesay to the former First Minister St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG www.gov.scot  might be a brief opportunity to meet representatives of my Initiative who would "be able-t0 tell you a-Iit'tle-more of what We are trying to achieve? If you feel there-is any merit ill all this,_perhaps we could have a word about it at B-irkh-a?? St Andrew?s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3'36 Nurth Highiexid (Initial-We Cover Note to Caithness- Reduedartt ?Inveiitery he vernacular and histOtic buildings cf-Caiihiic's's are arunique but diminishing resource surviving precariiousiy. On behalf of ith .N?rdi'?'ighlandsinitiative an c'f?re?duridsnt mid- ?Vemacui?i buildings in-thesold Wichita-of Caitlin-seams carried. out limiters-w Wright- in the summer- of ?2007'. The: survey-documented and phOtcgraphed 1350 sites. comprehensive the results pee-Vida. and authoritative and statistically signi?cant baseline level of knowledge against Which ?ltur?e sari/eye. can be compared. The Inventory is being digitised and will be available ondiso. . The Repot?t'which the Inventory-provides adetailedbackground, including the formative social'and e'ecncmic in?uences to the building traditions in. CaithizeSs and identifies- those features which are unique; to the area. The Rte-pert alsc identifies-the many structurt?s at risk, discusses the underlying-threats to the. remainingbuilthetitage, the lack of fcmai recognifia?n of?i-ts 'veiue', and:makes.recommendations as to how the alarming rate of decay wig-lithe halted. An abridged version ofthe- full report is availabie. The principal conclusions are: The heritage in: Caithnes's is ue-ique, is "a diminishing resource and is currently zit-considerable Erisk; i a distinctive vernacular tradition has been. crafted in Cai'thness through the use of flagstone,? creating a strong sense of-iccal identity; 0 Some of the building types found in Ca?ithness are unique to the area, for example: the distinctive places of Worship erected fer the Free Church in the 18405and later for the United free Chutch tied-the riCh legacy of buildings; a The-merit cf the vernacular heritage- of-Caithness has not, always been recogniSed in the past, notieast by its omission from heritage protection legislation; ncrhave fiscal pelicies and theapplieatic?rtefplanning guidelines assisted the. regeneration cf redundant buildings. I - The Report makes which cover-six distinct areas:- Dissemination cf-the Inventory and-the Repert to raise awareness of the richness of Caithness?sBu-iit Heritage, its ptewriousne'ss and the value associated with its regeneration 6- Agreement to the Recommendations with. appropriate natikm?al5 regional and ideal interests and. the, establishment, of? priorities; - Estebiishing priorities, timescsies and budgets to gather with. the appointment (ifs eitzibie staff; 9 Developing an infrasttuctuifetc swiped titei?egramme including the establishment- of a fer Conservati'cn Excellence; A St Andrew?s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG '1 Extract from reply of 5 September 2008 to the above letter from the former First Minister to the Duke of Rothesay St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG www.gov.scot  Extract from letter dated 15 June 2009 from the Duke of Rothesay to the former First Minister You will not be surprised to know that there are a number of issues which I would very much like to discuss with you when we meet but, in the meantime, I wondered if I might mention the whole issue of the work carried out by the Soil Association Scotland and, in particular, the development of sustainable food supply chains? I have been told that this issue of public procurement has recently been examined by your colleague, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment. However, perhaps somewhat inevitably, the Soil Association Scotland is finding it very difficult to pursue its "Food for Life" programme because of the current funding climate. As you may know, the "Food for Life" programme promotes procurement of food that is freshly prepared, bought locally, has high animal welfare standards and meets your Government's criteria for sustainable public procurement. The benefits to education, to local economies, to animal welfare and to the environment have all proved to be significant. It is being implemented to varying degrees in several local authorities in Scotland, and also in the private sector including, for example, by Celtic Football Club. As Patron of the Soil Association, I was delighted recently to present a series of awards, in the form of the "Food for Life" Catering Mark, to various catering establishments. I was particularly pleased that both East Ayrshire Council and Celtic Football Club earned the top category Gold award. If I may say so, it is enormously encouraging that East Ayrshire, one of Scotland's smaller Councils, is leading nationally in sustainable public procurement and is able to demonstrate a steadfast commitment to "Food for Life." In this regard, you may know that I have maintained an interest in East Ayrshire's "Food for Life" project over the last few years. Its success is significant, delivering enhanced value in social, economic and environmental terms, with over forty schools benefitting communities through their contracts with local producers and farmers. Equally, it is clear that there is a great deal of work to be developed in this area across the public sector that cannot be undertaken by Government alone. I am told by Hugh Raven, Director of the Soil Association Scotland, that the Scottish Government is providing support for "Food for Life" through the Scottish Rural Development Programme, in a contract focussed on developing supply chains. What is also apparently urgently needed is support for the.procurement authorities - most especially local authorities and their education departments, but also potentiaUy hospitals, prisons and other public sector bodies -to change their procurement and catering practice towards fresh, local and organic ingredients. There St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG www.gov.scot  simply is no substitute to having expert advice available to caterers hoping to make their way in this respect - and no organization has done more to provide this in Scotland than the Soil Association. The Scottish Government has frequently expressed its approval of this approach, and I wondered if it might be possible to investigate whether there could be some form of support to assist the Soil Association in avoiding having to cut back their capacity for this initiative at precisely the moment that your Government looks set to give. it the very strongest of endorsements? Looking to the future, I believe the proposals being developed to establish a Food Academy at Dumfries House have the potential to provide a centre of excellence for the promotion of sustainable food strategies, for all of Scotland and beyond . St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG www.gov.scot  Extract from letter dated 3 August 2009 from the Duke of Rothesay to the former First Minister Extract from letter dated 14 October 2009 from the former First Minister to the Duke of Rothesay Extracts from letter dated 17 June 2010 from the Duke of Rothesay to the former First Minister St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG www.gov.scot  In terms of the built environment and heritage-led regeneration, I was appalled, as I mentioned, to discover that Paton?s Mill in Johnstone had burnt down, just as my Trust was due to hold discussions with representatives of Renfrewshire Council. This is, tragically, all too familiar a pattern and, given the potential for sites such as Paton?s Mill to generate employment, local wealth creation and supporting apprenticeships and skills development, I would be most grateful if you felt that there were ways in which this whole issue could be tackled. with renewed vigour through the appropriate agencies and individuals. I know that representatives ?om my Trust would?be only too glad to brief your colleagues as necessary, particularly Where your own Government?s objectives and those of the Trust appear to be aligned, for examme in rural regeneration and skills development. Finally, I just wanted to mention that my North Highland Initiative, which is now being chaired by David Whiteford, is about to embark on a. ?Visioning? workshop with my Foundation for the Built Environment, and with Jim Maekinnon and his colleagues ?'om the planning department. This will take place moat likely in early August and sits very much within the context of tidal and wave power development in the Pentland Firth. In View of the renewable energy opportunities, I did just wonder whether it would be to consider the development of a ?socio-economic hand? which could, for example, be operated by Highland Council, similar to that which relates to the oil and gas sector for Orkney and Shetland? As we have discussed in the past, the potential for the food, tourism and built environment sectors, all linked by common themes of sustainability in Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, is enormous and, if you thought that such an idea had merit, I wondered whether we might be able to discuss it further when we meet at Birkhall in the early Autumn? St Andrew?s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3'36 [l [i i] i] i] Extract from letter dated July 2010 from the former First Minister to the Duke of Rothesay St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG www.gov.scot 