The decision on the Bannockburn horse track is delayed. Ministers are reviewing the proposal from the summer.
An independent reporter gave ministers their recommendation. Ministers are still thinking about the report, and will decide on the planning application. The decision is now a month behind schedule.
Ministers took control of the plans back in August. They worried about the battlefield’s potential impact, as the battlefield is nationally important. The ministers also mentioned the Bannockburn Rotunda. Stirling Council approved the track plans in July, but the ministers then stepped in.
H Muirhead wants to build the trotting track. His Scottish Harness Racing Club proposed it. The plans include a single-story building, with toilets, a bar, and takeaway food.
The site covers about 8.7 hectares and is currently green farmland. This land is across from the Bannockburn visitor center, which the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) runs.
Campaigners and the NTS criticized the council’s approval. The NTS might seek legal review if ministers approve it.
An NTS spokesperson commented on the delayed decision. They said they hope for a quick and positive resolution. The NTS had commissioned a report earlier, saying the proposal had unacceptable flaws.
Stuart Brooks said it was the wrong application, in the wrong place. He stated Stirling Council made the wrong decision.
Douglas Harman, a landscape planner, led the study. He submitted it to the independent reporter. The reporter reviewed the application and its approval.
The report said an assessment was missing and noted no visual impact report existed. The report claimed this was a fundamental omission. The report assessed the proposal’s effects on the landscape.
Photos of the development lacked proper guidance. The report called the photos flawed, misleading, and unreliable.
Brooks said it protects the battlefield and the first day’s combat location. He stated this area is historically significant, as its landscape shaped the battle’s course. He added the track would disrupt the battlefield and compromise a part of the landscape.
Stirling Council chose not to comment on the event.