Scottish ministers refuse planning permission for horse-trotting track at historic Bannockburn battlefield

Scottish ministers have refused planning permission for a horse-trotting track on the site of the historic Bannockburn battlefield.

Stirling Council approved the application in July last year despite many objections and it was subsequently ‘called in’ by Scottish Ministers.

Rejecting the plans, the Scottish Government said the track would ‘urbanise’ one of the few remaining undeveloped parts of the battlefield.

The site is where in June 1314 Robert the Bruce and his Scottish army famously defeated English troops led by King Edward II.

The proposed trotting track, car parking, fencing and buildings, in green fields adjacent to the battlefield centre and parkland would have been directly visible from the Rotunda, which acts as a national monument to commemorate the battle which changed the course of Scottish history.

The National Trust for Scotland, which managed the site, previously said the planning process had been flawed and that Stirling Council should not have given its approval to the scheme given its visual and other impacts on the historic battlefield.

‘This is very welcome news for the Trust and all who care about Scotland’s heritage and history,’ Diarmid Hearns, acting director of conservation and policy at the National Trust for Scotland said. 

‘Ministers’ conclusions closely accord with our stated views that this development was simply in the wrong place and would have badly impacted upon the setting of the battlefield.

‘We hope that this decision brings this matter to an end and that the developer withdraws to a new site elsewhere that will not impinge on places of historical importance.

‘We would like to express our gratitude to Scottish Ministers for their decision and to thank all the members of the local community, as well as the many supporters of the National Trust for Scotland worldwide, who campaigned against this unwanted application.’

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