Stirling University chiefs have been forced to remove signs barring entry to the campus grounds after the local community raised concerns over access rights.
Signs appeared at entrances to the university property on Airthrey Road early on Thursday morning, informing people that access to the grounds for exercise had been restricted to campus residents only as a safety measure.
The move prompted fury over the “heavy-handed” nature of the response, as well as provoking criticism that the measure was illegal without approval from Stirling Council.
And after locals raised the issue, council officials confirmed the signs were in breach of the Land Reform Act and said they were being changed, while campus security stressed that paths and grounds would remain open to the public.
One of those who raised questions over the move was Crispin Bennett, who acts as the Stirling representative for Cycling UK.
He told the Observer: “In Scotland, access to private land is covered by the Land Reform Act and if you want to close land like this, you need a Section 11 order from the council to put alternative measures in place.
“The university campus is private land, so everyone has access to it whether they are walking, running or on horse.
“There are channels that need to be followed with something like this because you can’t restrict access and the university know this. It’s a local green space that people are going to go for exercise and, with the lack of car traffic on the roads, it’s definitely been quieter at the weekends than normal.”
That opinion was backed by another Bridge of Allan resident, who didn’t wish to be named.
She told the Observer: “I’ve been going up for years and have been going for walks during the lockdown and it’s been quite quiet, so it seems a heavy-handed move. They were maybe worried about the Easter weekend and people going up there and so were trying to mitigate against that.
“When I’ve been up there, nobody has been acting disrespectfully and people have been taking a wide path to avoid people so it’s a bit disappointing to have that taken away because it’s a bit of a sanctuary for local people.”
Following enquiries from Mr Bennett and other community figures, Stirling Council’s access and sustainable travel officer Angela Simpson confirmed via email later on Thursday morning that the council would be looking for the signs to be altered.
Ms Simpson said: “I have spoke (sic) to the University’s Campus Security and they have confirmed that the grounds and paths are not closed, it remains open to the public.
“The wording on the signs will be changed to remind users of the Covid-19 regulations.
“The signs that are in breach of the LRA will be replaced with more appropriate wording as soon as they can.”
