THE Beauly to Denny power line has been operating for some time now, but by this Sunday (September 25), all traces of the temporary access roads and bridges used in its construction must be removed from the landscape. Throughout much of the line south from Beauly landowners have successfully obtained planning permission to retain the access roads running through their land, primarily for estate business. In Stirlingshire, however, there are important historic sites to consider and public opposition ensured the removal of the temporary roads on Sheriffmuir near the great battlefield of the 1715 Jacobite rising, specifically because of their proximity to this nationally important historic site.

During the summer holiday, however, when the public were unaware, the landowner of a large part of this site secured permission to retain not only the road through the battlefield itself, but also the Bailey bridge over the Wharry Burn on the edge of the battlefield and leading onto the access road. The plan is now before the Forestry Commission, in order to secure a forest subsidy to plant on this historic site, with all the destruction which this will cause.

Not long ago Historic Scotland (now merged with the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments), fearing the disappearance of Scotland's battlefields, drew up a comprehensive Inventory of Battlefields to ensure that planning departments throughout the country would be well-informed about the history of these military events and ensure that such important sites were considered and protected. In this past year alone, however, there have been developments threatened on Prestonpans and Kilsyth and on the edge of Culloden. There remain, unfortunately, planners who view any field, however its importance in Scotland's past, as an excellent place for a factory. Indeed Sheriffmuir, without development over 300 years, is now regarded as an “industrial site”.

Well-informed visitors from far afield come in large numbers to view what remains of our battlefields, but these are fast disappearing in the face of indifferent planners. It is up to all of us, and our representatives on local councils to act to save what remains of these, and indeed other historic places, which are fast disappearing from the landscape.

The planners of Stirling Council have given permission for this development on the battlefield of Sheriffmuir, but there is still the opportunity for the public to protest to the Forestry Commission, as well as to their councillors and MSPs, over the plan to devastate this nationally important site still further. Our historic landscape, once destroyed, cannot be restored in future like some old building.

Virginia Wills,

Glentye, Sheriffmuir.

I AM surprised that Marianne Taylor ("Do not let nimbies end Judy's bid for legacy", The Herald, September 19) and some of your correspondents (Letters, September 17 & 20) have any doubt what the Scottish Government will decide. Its centralisation of planning decisions and close link to the funders is regularly reflected in their failure to protect the Green Belt or Green Space. The You've Been Trumped film shows what will happen (despite the subsequent Trump / Salmond fallout). We've seen how the Bellshill rail freight super-hub was only stopped through legal action (“Judges hit out at ministers in rail hub row”, The Herald, August 24). The Scottish Government is declining to call in the loss of parts of Holmhills Park (designated Green Space) in Cambuslang despite the council having a clear conflict of interest.

Anyone who dares to try and protect the gobbling up of open space in the Green Belt or designated Green Space is of course "a nimbie". Even the alleged wild land list was reduced after pressure from wind farm developers and the lack of a robust independent assessment of the impact of wind farms on tourism. Indeed as we have seen with the rolling over for Mr Trump's golf courses ¬, even a protective designation is easily flouted.

The recent Heritage Lottery Fund Report on the State of UK Parks 2016 has revealed how public green spaces are facing budget cuts, staff losses and are being sold off. This has rightly led to Westminster’s Communities and Local Government Committee launching an inquiry into public parks to examine the impact of reduced local authority budgets on these open spaces and consider concerns that their existence is under threat.

Is it not time we also had such an inquiry in Scotland to look at the loss of Green Belt and Green Space in Scotland?

Dave Sutton,

9 Douglas Gate, Cambuslang.