We’re in a battle about Bannockburn — and we need your support

Story published on 7 August 2024

You may have seen news reports recently about the National Trust for Scotland’s shock and dismay at a recent planning decision taken by Stirling Council. 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.

Stirling Council wants to give the go-ahead for a horse harness-racing track, and its associated buildings and car parking, to be constructed on what are currently green fields a short distance from the Battle of Bannockburn Centre and the listed buildings designed to commemorate and view the battlefield.

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 and 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. Indeed, well-known archaeologist and TV presenter Tony Pollard says that the fields host the positions taken by the Scottish army at the opening of the battle on 23 June 1314 and may also be the location where King Robert defeated English knight Henry de Bohun in single combat.

Bannockburn is one of the pivotal events of Scottish history: it was the most significant victory over the English monarchy’s ambitions to subsume the country within its territories. It emerged as a literal landmark in asserting Scotland’s claim to be a nation in its own right, setting the course for the treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328, at which point the English finally recognised the legitimacy of Scotland’s independence and the rightfulness of Robert I’s kingship.

Yet, although the battlefield was revered for generations and is embedded in the cultural traditions of Scotland, over the last hundred years or so it has been ill-served, with much of the landscape over which combat ranged absorbed by expanding urban creep. Although the Trust has been able to acquire a reasonable portion of the historic battlefield and protect it, remaining undeveloped portions are incredibly rare, and this is why there has been so much concern about the proposed site of the racing track.

The fields earmarked for development have been open since 1314 and represent one of the last green wedges in this part of Stirling. The open views give us a last, unsullied opportunity to appreciate how the conflict unfolded from this direction, revealing the Scots’ tactical perspectives on the topography around them and the good sense of their choice of location for their encampment. If these fields 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 irreversible and we will be left with a void in our heritage.

Ten years ago, in time for the 700th anniversary of the battle, our new visitor centre opened to the public with much fanfare and substantial investment from the Scottish Government and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Since then, the centre has welcomed millions of visitors and hundreds of thousands of school children. The enjoyment and understanding of future visitors are now in jeopardy if this decision to build on the battlefield is allowed to go ahead.

The proposed horse track, along with parking for 200 spectators, noise, roadways, bar and toilet blocks, will significantly impact the views from the heritage centre and people’s experience and understanding of the battlefield.

It’s a decision we find difficult to believe was taken on the basis of just two Councillors’ support – and we have good reasons for that, quite apart from the bitter experience in other locations where permission for one development inevitably means more development on a piecemeal basis later.

Scotland’s National Planning Framework 4 states that: ’Development proposals affecting nationally important Historic Battlefields will only be supported where they protect and, where appropriate, enhance their cultural significance, key landscape characteristics, physical remains and special qualities.’

This cannot be said of this proposal.

We also have genuine concerns that appropriate planning procedures were not followed in this instance.

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.

Legislation allows for Scottish Ministers to call in a planning decision up to 28 days after it was made — the deadline in this case is 26 August 2024.