£5M!! And they ditched plans for a £1M chairlift at Innerleithen, which would have brought in masses of riders (and cash) and got rid of the polluting cattle truck / coach up lift - not to mention giving the place a really unique feature to the riding in the area with minimal impact on the forest.

Hasn't Glentress already got a pretty good centre?

Hang on a cotton-pickin minute, i take that back:

http://www.descent-world.co.uk/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=537

If they really are going to bring in that many riders, then the exisitng trail network simply wont be able to cope! Glentress Black in not too bad, the red can get busy, but not 'ski resort' busy. but double or triple the number of riders, and you destroy the very thing that people would visit the area for.

More trails would be needed.

There will be no chairlift - visitor numbers for the uplift are falling.  As for the £5M who is going to benefit? Not the bikers.  It is a new Visitor Centre and office for the FC.  The cafe is a minor after-thought tagged on in the ditch - I mean drained pond.  Is there really anything wrong with whats there already?

Visitor numbers are falling for the uplift because it's overpriced. £32 to ride your bike for the day is just too much. I can go to Ft William, with a £40 season pass, for £12 a day. There's no contest in it really. You can also race an SDA for £60! You get marshalls, first aid, timing, 2 days riding and a lot more mates turning up all for 2 quid less per day. You're also not limited to 8 runs in a day.

The chairlift, running similar prices to Ft William, would be even busier than Ft Bill as it's closer to Central Scotland and not that far from Newcastle and the north of England. 

<i>Hasn't Glentress already got a pretty good centre?</i>

No.

If they want to copy one, look at the one at Glyncorrig (Afan) or Coed-y-Brenin.