Response to The Press and Journal Article on the St Kilda Centre

Sir
For those unable or unwilling to make the sea journey to St Kilda, the proposed new
visitor centre, whether it is built in the Uists, Lewis or Harris, will be welcome (report,
Press & Journal, August 18). By 2020 technology will doubtless allow visitors to
remotely explore the island, but no matter how good it is, it will not convey its unique
atmosphere. More importantly, it must not be used by the National Trust for Scotland
(NTS), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) or the MoD as a convenient tool to prevent
visitors from going there altogether.
St Kilda is significant for its former human occupation and to a lesser degree its
wildlife. There is already a worrying element of 'preciousness' as far as visitors are
concerned. It would be quite wrong of NTS to fall into step with Unesco's 'global best
practice example of remote access story-telling'- whatever that may be - to the
detriment of the three local businesses which convey people to and from the island
in fast RIBS or the St Kilda Club who have a presence on the island and each year
raise substantial sums of money for important preservation work.
Yours faithfully
Iain Thornber