A HILL that aided Robert The Bruce’s victory at the Battle of Bannockburn has been preserved after being designated a Local Nature Conservation Site.
The Gillies Hill at Cambusbarron, near Stirling, played a decisive role in the 1314 battle, but much of the hill has already been quarried away for road stone.
Members of Stirling Council agreed on December 9 to designate the hill as the first Local Nature Conservation Site (LNCS) in its area, and the designation came into force yesterday.
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LNCS status is given by local authorities to areas of locally important nature and landscapes.
Quarrying ceased 20 years ago, but now Patersons Quarries Ltd wants to resume work and a two-day public inquiry into their plans was held in Cambusbarron last month. A decision of a Scottish Government reporter is awaited.
Stirling Council officers have been investigating the feasibility of designating the area of Gillies Hill an LNCS and a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) since 2015. The Council worked with The Wildlife Information Centre (TWIC) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to survey its biodiversity value.
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Stirling Council’s Environment convener Danny Gibson said: “We are very supportive of the community’s wishes for the value of Gillies Hill, with its unique biodiversity and heritage, to be recognised.”
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