Calls have been made to allow locked forestry gates to be thrown open during stormy weather to prevent rural residents becoming cut-off.
Residents living in Kinlochard, Inversnaid and Stronachlachar regularly become stranded when a notoriously flood-prone stretch of road through Aberfoyle closes.
The latest closure of the route, the B829, occurred on Sunday following a spell of heavy rain.
Residents in the area have called for a Forestry & Land Scotland (FLS) gate – which is always locked shut – to be opened to grant residents living to the west of Aberfoyle access to and from the homes.
The locked gate sits on a road between Kinlochard and Aberfoyle.
During Sunday’s flooding incident, the B829 was closed , at its junction of the A821, with the route impassable.
Strathard Community Council and one ward councillor made calls to a number supplied by FLS to request the opening of the locked barrier but the request was refused.
Frustrated Strathard Community Council chairman, Trevor Geraghty, now wants to see an agreement between stakeholders to allow the barrier to be opened in future flooding events. He said: “The maintenance of the B829 is the responsibility of Stirling Council and it’s absolutely critical that Stirling Council take steps to ensure that residents of Kinlochard, Inversnaid and Stronachlachar always have a route in and out of their homes and businesses in the event that the road is closed for any reason.
“If this means agreements with key landowners, such as FLS, then this must occur as a matter of urgency as the current situation which regularly sees all residents west of Aberfoyle, in effect, being cut off is intolerable.
“Historically used routes through the forest which were used for decades by locals without incident have been disrupted by the arbitrary introduction of locked gates. A recent community council survey of several hundred local residents saw overwhelming support and demand that action is taken to resolve this issue. This year’s regular storms have only served as regular reminders of the urgency.”
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In response, FLS this week cited safety fears over areas of forestry during spells of stormy weather. A spokesperson said: “A few hours delay due to flooding is inconvenient and frustrating but does not warrant us exposing members of the public to greater risk by allowing entry to forests during flooding or high winds.
“Forests are inherently unsafe under such conditions and the risk is even greater when our local team – still trying to tidy storm-damaged roads, tracks and watercourses – has not been able to assess the forest road after the weekend’s storms, heavy rain and snowmelt.
“Vehicles can very easily become stuck or end up off road, which often results in avoidable and unnecessary demands being made on the rescue services, which could impact on their ability to respond to other, potentially life-saving call-outs.
“We are working with partner agencies to find an acceptable solution to the issue but in the meantime we – as land manager – have a responsibility to ensure the safety of members of the public accessing our land.”
Stirling Council said it was aware of resident’s’ concerns about the availability of the forestry road. A spokesperson added: “Council officers have engaged with the local community, Forestry Land Scotland and local elected members for a number of months to consider suitable access arrangements and will continue to do so. Further meetings will be arranged to discuss this matter.”
Trossachs and Teith ward Tory councillor, Martin Earl, has been in regular contact with FLS over access to the forestry route for residents. Writing to FLS this week, Cllr Earl said: ‘As a ward councillor for the area and someone that has been involved in the issue of the locked forestry gate for a long time, I’m incredibly frustrated at the inability of FLS to adopt a pragmatic approach – one that balances competing risks and works in partnership with residents. There is a solution here that can work but it requires FLS to work with the realities of the location and acknowledge that the Forestry Road has a vital role to play in adding significant resilience.’
Cllr Earl added: ‘I’m afraid I cannot accept the current position being adopted and would urge reconsideration of how access is managed.
‘One could install signage, agree that the gate is opened when the B829 is closed and monitor the situation in partnership with the community council. It could be a pilot project that FLS could use to assess other locations. This would be a proactive and innovative move by the organisation in how it plays its role in adding resilience in the wake of Storm Arwen, other more recent storms and the accepted view that extreme weather events will occur more often.
‘The risks to a community from being cut off far outweigh the risks to users and FLS of occasional and appropriate use when their only other road is unavailable.’
