SNP ministers have been accused of forcing a “shameful” wait on Scots after more than three months passed without a decision on plans for a horse trotting track at Bannockburn.
The contentious plans to develop on the site of the historic battle – where Robert the Bruce defeated King Edward II of England in a pivotal moment in the First War of Scottish Independence – were approved by Stirling Council in July 2024.
However, the application was “called in” by SNP ministers the following month, in response to calls from campaigners, top historians and the National Trust for Scotland.
The proposed site is around 8.7 hectares and is currently greenfield agricultural land opposite the NTS Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre.
The proposals, lodged by Mr H Muirhead of the Scottish Harness Racing Club, include the creation of a trotting track surface and a single storey building that would house toilets, a bar and provide hot takeaway food. Competitor and spectator vehicular paths/footpaths would also be built as well as parking areas.
Although the fields marked for the development do not fall within the land cared for by NTS, they are within the known boundaries of the 1314 conflict and the organisation has described the fields as “integral” to the experience of visitors who come to learn about the battle.
Archaeologist and TV presenter Tony Pollard previously said that the positions taken by the Scottish army at the opening of the battle on 23 June 1314 were on the application site, which may also be where Robert the Bruce defeated English knight Henry de Bohun in single combat.
After taking control over the application, the Scottish Government noted in a letter filed by the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) that there were concerns around the “potential impact on [a] designated battlefield of national significance”.
But now, more than three months since SNP ministers began deliberations, no word has yet been forthcoming on whether they will approve the plans.
The National understands that stakeholders have heard nothing from the Government on the progress of the decision.
A spokesperson for the NTS said they hoped to hear movement “soon”.
"The National Trust for Scotland is very pleased that Scottish Ministers listened to our request to call in this damaging and unsuitable development proposal for determination,” they said.
“Along with many others, including the local community, we strongly believe that this development should not be allowed to proceed and desecrate one of Scotland’s most significant heritage sites.
“We are keen to hear the outcome and hope there will be positive news soon."
Sean Clerkin, a well-known Scottish activist who has campaigned against the Bannockburn trotting track proposals from the outset, said it was an “an insult to the independence movement in Scotland that our most cherished historical battle site at Bannockburn is still threatened with the disgraceful proposed development of a race trotting track after all this time”.
He went on: “The Scottish Government should have turned down this proposal long ago as the Battle of Bannockburn is the birthplace of the nation state of Scotland as we know it today.
“It is shameful that no final decision has been made known to the people of Scotland.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Ministers are considering the planning application and will make a decision as soon as possible.”
It comes amid a much longer wait for a decision on an application to develop a new fish farm in Loch Long, which SNP ministers have had on their desks since February 2024.
On Thursday, First Minister John Swinney defended the length of the wait, saying the Government needed “adequate space” to consider all of the issues at play.
