Stirling outdoor public boozing rule proposals go to Holyrood

Proposals to change the byelaw on drinking alcohol in public in Stirling will go to the Scottish Government for consideration after receiving support from Stirling Council.

The proposals were requested by residents and Police Scotland following an increase in anti-social behaviour associated with alcohol consumption last summer in the Stirling Council area.

A four-week public consultation which closed on April 16 offered residents and visitors the opportunity to have their say on proposed changes to the council’s Prohibition of Drinking of Alcohol in Public Places byelaw.

The proposed changes would: extend the area already covered by the byelaw in the Callander area; and add to the wording of the existing byelaw by including the offence of having an open container of alcohol in a designated public place.

Following the endorsement of the proposals by councillors, they will now be considered by the Scottish Government and, if approved, will come into force on a designated day.

Feedback on the public consultation was facilitated via the Engage Stirling platform and attracted a wide range of views, the majority of which were said to be supportive of the amendment.

Councillors considered a supportive response from the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority, and noted that the amendment to the byelaw would bring it into alignment with neighbouring local authorities with areas that fall within the National Park boundary, ensuring consistency of alcohol byelaws for park visitors.

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Those opposed indicated a preference for more resources to be used to tackle anti-social behaviour and littering. The response from Ramblers Scotland expressed a preference for infrastructure and education to tackle anti-social behaviour before an extension to the byelaw was considered.

Ultimately, councillors decided to approve the changes to empower police officers to effectively enforce the byelaw and respond to the concerns of residents local to the Callander area.