Angry villagers in Gargunnock have criticised levels of consultation over a series of road closures in place for the upcoming UCI Cycling World Championships.
The roads around Stirling are set to host the time trial events between August 9 and August 11, with the world’s top pedallers set to take part on a route covering 48 kilometres of local roads, taking them across much of the region.
As part of the preparations, a series of road closures have been announced by Stirling Council in effect across various points over the three days of competition.
Gargunnock is one of those areas set to be impacted and locals have raised concerns over no access being allowed to the village during affected periods.
According to a letter posted to villagers outlining the road closures, an ‘access point’ is set to be closed from 8am to 11.30am on August 9 and then again from 1pm to 5.15pm.
The access point will also be closed from 12.30pm to 4.45pm on the following day and then from 8.30am to 5.15pm on the Friday - August 11.
It has raised concerns of the area being cut off for those who need to travel in and out for work or caring responsibilities, with frustration over the level of communication from Stirling Council over the planned closures.
Resident Norman Robertson said: “It was just a letter that came through from the council and it just left me really annoyed.
“The access to the road is closed for most of the day - my wife is a tour guide and so she is in and out all of the time so that will have an impact. It just seemed to be that the decision was made and that was it for any of us to have a say.”
A series of community consultation events have been taking place across the region for residents to respond to the plans over the event - with one of these taking place in Gargunnock’s Community Centre on May 30.
David Millar, chairman of Gargunnock Community Council, said: “A number of residents have raised concerns about getting to work (home working not an option) or elderly residents that have carers visiting them daily.
“It’s not clear how these will be resolved which is of course a concern.
“We were informed about the event a few months ago and shared this information across our various communication channels. However, we weren’t given the opportunity for detailed consultation on the plans.
“The organisers did have an event information session in the local Community Centre recently where a number of these concerns were raised.
“I am aware there are provisions in place for emergencies but it is disappointing earlier and wider consultation was not carried out with our residents given the prolonged impact over that week.
“However, not diminishing the concerns of local residents, we do also recognise the positive impact this event brings to the Stirling area.”
A spokesperson for Stirling Council said: “The UCI Cycling World Championships’ Individual Time Trials in Stirling will be part of the biggest cycling event in history, watched by an anticipated one billion global TV audience.
“All the event partners, including emergency services, are fully committed to engaging with communities impacted by the time trials to provide resilient support, minimise disruption and ensure as many residents and businesses as possible can make the most of the opportunities from this unprecedented sporting event.
“Letters have been issued to all residents and businesses along the race routes by the event partners while relevant community councils and community groups have also been contacted.
“Community drop-in sessions have been held with impacted communities, including in Gargunnock, and more are planned. Further direct communications with residents and businesses will take place in the coming weeks, which will provide more details on measures to mitigate disruption and deliver the events safely.
“We would be happy to discuss these matters with Gargunnock Community Council and any other community groups.”
