IT WAS the scene of Scotland's most famous victory over the English – and a turning point in the history of the nation.
But now the site of the Battle of Bannockburn, where Robert the Bruce famously triumphed over the English in 1314, is at the mercy of building developers.
A national conservation body warned yesterday that the site is likely to remain under threa
t from developers for years to come – despite the promise of long-awaited safeguards.
The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) fears Bannockburn may fail to qualify for a planned inventory of battlefields, because too much housing has already been allowed on and around the site in Stirlingshire.
The trust also fears that the proposed battlefield inventory will not give enough protection to historic sites, as it will not give councils the legal power to block planning applications.
Historic Scotland has proposed that battlefields accorded national significance status will have to be fully considered during any planning process. But it has already warned that there may be problems safeguarding sites like Bannockburn because academics and historians are divided over the exact location of the battlefield site.
NTS, which owns and is responsible for most of the Bannockburn site, says urgent action is needed to give it greater protection, because its landscape has been "compromised" so much by developments. Three years ago Stirling Council was forced to scrap plans to build two schools on part of the battlefield following a public outcry.
Robin Turner, the NTS's head of archaeology, said: "We are concerned that Bannockburn may not qualify for inclusion in the inventory, because its landscape has been compromised by development.
"We'd like to see the criteria adjusted to better reflect the full range of factors that make a battlefield of national significance. We'd argue that at sites – like Bannockburn – where parts of the battlefield have already been lost, there can be an even greater need to protect what survives."
Dr Gordon Barclay, Historic Scotland's head of national policy, said: "With the consultation on battlefields closed, we will now consider all the responses and suggested approaches, before Scottish ministers finalise and launch the policy paper."
The full article contains 366 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
