The National Trust for Scotland has asked its members and the public to support its campaign to protect one of the last remnants of the Bannockburn Battlefield in Stirling after the local council recommended approval for a race track.

Stirling Council gave the go-ahead to a proposal to develop a horse harness-racing track and its associated buildings and car parking, on fields close to the Battle of Bannockburn Centre and the listed monuments designed to commemorate the battle.

The decision has left the National Trust for Scotland angry and they have written to Scottish Ministers asking for them to urgently call in the proposal which, if permitted, would destroy one of the last remaining areas of open landscape on which the historic battle took place in 1314.

The charity has 330,000 members and they are being urged to write to MSPs to support the trust’s battle to keep it from being turned into a horse-racing track. The fields where the track is being planned isn’t on land owned or cared for by the trust but they are still within the boundaries of where the conflict took place in 1314.

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Director of Conservation & Policy Stuart Brooks, said: “We believe Scotland thinks more of its heritage than this, and we need as many people as possible to stand with us to defend this special place now and for the future.

“The fields in question are on the national Inventory of Historic Battlefields and although they don’t fall within the land owned and cared for by the Trust, they are within the known boundaries of the 1314 conflict. They are integral to the experience of visitors who come from near and far to learn about this special aspect of Scotland’s heritage. These fields are not just fields, but a living testament to the historical and cultural significance of the Battle of Bannockburn. 

“If they are developed, we will not just lose a part of our history, but also a connection from the present to the past. The loss will be intolerable and we will be left with a void in our heritage and a stain on our nation’s reputation.

“If you agree that this important site of Scottish history should be protected from this damaging proposal, we are asking you to please write to Scottish Ministers explaining why you think the battlefield is important, why this development is so damaging, its inappropriateness for the location and finally, asking that the decision is called in as a matter of urgency.

“Time is ticking on this – Scottish Ministers have until just 26 August to make their decision. Please help us ensure that they understand how strongly the public feel about protecting this important place.”

The National Trust for Scotland has also highlighted a number of concerns about the procedure followed in this case, including the fact they were only alerted to the development by a third party.

They also shared their sympathies with the people behind the development because they had another site taken away from them for a housing development but they urged ministers to look at the planning.

They continued: “Despite its close proximity to the development site, the Trust's Bannockburn Centre was never approached by the applicant nor initially contacted by Stirling Council’s Planning Department as part of the Pre-Application Phase consultation.

“Third parties alerted us to the development, so we lodged a letter of objection, but we did not have proper time to scrutinise the evidence presented by the developer. We also believe that the proposal should have been supported by a Landscape Visual Impact Assessment to properly determine the impact on the views from the listed buildings.

“We are therefore appealing to Scottish Ministers to ‘call in’ the Council’s decision, both because of its impact on a historic battlefield contrary to national guidance and because of the flaws in the planning process leading up to the Council’s approval.

“We sympathise with the developer, who seeks a new home for their sport following the loss of their original site elsewhere in Stirling to housing development. However, this is the wrong place for their new facility, and we would urge Stirling Council to help them find a more suitable alternative.”

Ministers have until August 26 to make a decision, and the charity urged members to email scottish.ministers@gov.scot with concerns.
A Stirling Council spokesperson said: "The panel carefully considered all information relating to the planning application in making its decision.
"As the Scottish Government has already issued a direction in respect of this application, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "We understand that Stirling Council is minded to approve the proposal for the trotting track.
"The application will be notified to ministers who will decide whether or not to call it in for their own determination."