CONTENTIOUS plans to build a harness racing track on the Bannockburn Battlefield have been given the green light by councillors and here we have images of exactly where that development has been proposed.
The planning committee of Stirling Council was split on whether to give the go-ahead but the Tory chair Councillor Rachel Nunn used her casting vote to push it through.
The plans were lodged by a Mr H Muirhead for the land west of New Line Road and south of Fairhill Road.
The site lies close to the National Trust for Scotland Bannockburn Centre, alongside the A-listed rotunda viewpoint.
It is around 8.7 hectares in size and is currently green field agricultural land. To give you a sense of how big that is, it’s about 14 football pitches.
The application proposes erecting a trotting track and a building to be used for toilets and a bar and takeaway for hot food and drink.
Competitor and spectator vehicular paths/footpaths would also be built as well as parking areas.
Councillors heard during the meeting that events were likely to take place on the site 20 times a year on Thursday evenings between 7-9pm and on Sundays from 2-5pm, outwith peak traffic times.
The National Trust for Scotland, which made representations at the hearing, said it was “shocked and disappointed” to see the application approved.
The decision is yet to be official. Scottish ministers will now have up to 28 days to further assess the impact on the historic battlefield and could decide to intervene.
