A professional report commissioned by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) reveals that a planning submission was made to Stirling Council for a horse-trotting track on the site of the historic Bannockburn Battlefield and that the Council’s assessment of this submission is considered ‘fundamentally flawed’.
The report, prepared by Glasgow-based landscape planning specialist Douglas Harman for NTS, has been submitted to the Reporter appointed by the Scottish Government. The Reporter is currently reviewing both the application and the Council’s approval, following a significant public outcry.
The proposed development includes a trotting track, car parking, fencing, and buildings in green fields adjacent to the Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre and the parkland managed by NTS. This area would be directly visible from the Rotunda, which serves as a national monument commemorating the 1314 battle.
In June, the Trust sent a letter objecting to the construction of the trotting track along with parking for 200 spectators, roadways, bar and toilet blocks, which will significantly impact the views from the heritage centre and people’s experience and understanding of the battlefield.
NTS is concerned that this development could cause additional harm to the historically significant landscape and surroundings of the battlefield, which is one of the most important locations in Scotland’s history.
The Trust has stated that the proposed development not only jeopardizes internationally significant heritage but also threatens to alter the experience of the site for current and future generations.
There are also concerns that appropriate planning procedures were not followed in this instance.
The Trust’s specific grounds for objection include the impact on the designated historic battlefield, the visual impact, transport impact, and noise pollution.
Despite numerous objections, Stirling Council approved the application in July, but it was later ‘called in’ by the Scottish Ministers for further consideration.
Douglas Harman’s report concluded that:
- No Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment was submitted with the application.
- The failure to provide an assessment of the effects of proposals on the surrounding landscape was a ‘fundamental omission’.
- The photos provided by the applicant to demonstrate how the facilities would appear once constructed ‘do not conform to relevant guidance’ and were misleading, unreliable and ‘fundamentally flawed’.
- The applicant’s assessment of landscape and visual impact, such as it was, was ‘not fit for purpose’.
- There are flaws too in the Council planning department’s handling of the application, thanks to a failure to ‘provide a comprehensive analysis’ of the relevant material ‘considerations’ and ‘overreliance’ on the information provided in the applicant’s submission.
Douglas Harman concluded: “Given the large number of policy conflicts, there is no doubt that the proposed development is unacceptable in landscape and visual terms.”
“In determining the application, therefore, paramount importance should be afforded to the protection of this nationally important landscape.”
Stuart Brooks, The Trust‘s Director of Conservation & Policy said: “The report supports our contention that this is the wrong application in the wrong place with the wrong decision by Stirling Council.”
“It’s more than a matter of protecting green fields: they are the location of the first day’s combat at Bannockburn on 23 June 1314 and are not just historically and nationally significant but also form a core part of the setting and topography of the wider landscape that dictated the course of the battle.”
“Many thousands of visitors each year come to the battlefield centre and the Rotunda to experience something of the fateful events that shaped our nation’s destiny. There is no doubt that the proposals, should they go ahead, would be wholly disruptive and compromise yet another part of the historic battlefield. It’s perhaps understandable why the applicant might want to play that down – but the Council’s assessment should have picked that up.”
“We have respectfully submitted the report to the Scottish Reporter and we hope that it provides helpful information as part of the review of Stirling Council’s decision that is now underway.”
