News
Stirling Council, like all local authorities, is required to undertake a statutory review of arrangements for polling districts and polling places every five years to ensure that suitable and accessible voting facilities are available to everyone.
We have been running a quick online survey as part of this review process over recent months, which we have been promoting on our social media channels. There are just over two weeks left to complete the survey with a closing date of 30 November.
We would appreciate you helping us promote this survey so we can gather views on current arrangements from residents and as well as any suggestions for improvement.
For more information and to take part, please visit our Engage Stirling website: https://engage.stirling.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/polling-districts-and-places-review"
The Giving Tree has opened its doors
We are pleased to announce that The Giving Tree opened its doors for the first time on Friday 17 November.
Thank you to all who have supported us through the last few months. We are really looking forward to welcoming customers old and new.
The Giving Tree will be an ethical and sustainable place to shop and will stock good quality preloved items including ladies’, gent’s and kid’s clothes, shoes, handbags, toys, household items and books all at bargain prices!
We will also be delighted to accept donations at the shop from Friday 17 November.
The profits from the Giving Tree will be supporting both local and international charities. In recognition of the history of the shop, the international charity we will be supporting for the rest of the financial year is Mary’s Meals.
A new survey, has been launched by the council on a range of budget savings proposal.
No decision have been taken on any of the savings proposals and the survey aims to find out from residents affected by savings what the impact would be on them and on the community.
Please help us to inform the budget process by completing the survey.
The full list of savings is on the survey itself, but they include:
- Close or reduce council-managed community centres.
- Stop the annual mowing of rural road verges, reduce grass cutting or increase space for pollinator spaces.
- Closure of some libraries.
- Reduction in budget for events and festivals.
- Removal of the ‘road-end’ waste collection policy.
- Stop the greenspace ranger service.
- Reduce spending on maintenance at buildings and facilities.
- Removal of the community grant scheme.
- Reduce free, confidential and impartial accredited money, debt and benefit advice to residents.
- Change the operating models (opening times and capacity) at some nurseries.
- Increase non statutory childcare fees.
- Reduce or stop the play, creche, play and out of school care service.
- Reduce teachers in the additional support needs outreach team.
- Removal of the P5 swimming programme.
- Reduce the primary school week for pupils.
- Close some or all public toilets.
There are also some Big Conversation drop-in events throughout November to which you are welcome to attend and meet directly with officers of the council.
The remaining dates are:
- Stirling High School - Monday 13 November, 6pm to 7.30pm
- Balfron High School - Wednesday 15 November, 6pm to 7.30pm
- Wallace High School - Monday 20 November, 6pm to 7.30pm
- Bannockburn High School - Wednesday 22 November, 6pm to 7.30pm
- Dunblane High School - Monday 27 November, 6pm to 7.30pm.
For more information on the councils budget position, please visit stirling.gov.uk/bigconversation
Look out for updates on our social media using the hashtag #BigConversation2425
Dandara (Housing Developer) has proposed a "Vision for Dunblane". This incorporates housing across its entire land bank to the south and west of Dunblane - this is owned by an associated company, Arnbathie Developments. The masterplan includes benefits to the community such as active travel routes, but clearly the overall plan will be of great interest to the community.
Dunblane Community Council has thus decided to pivot its forthcoming "Big Dunblane Survey" to accomodate feedback on this. Questions will be reworked to allow specific feedback on this plan. The survey will now be issued in early 2024.
Here are some of the key topics under discussion this month. Our full list of intiatives is on our home page
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Transport |
Dunblane Community Council (DCC) has asked Stirling Council (SC) to consider installing a pedestrian crossing on the dual carriageway across from the Dunblane Centre to improve road safety for people accessing the centre. SC have said they will carry out an assessment,. DCC has submitted a review to TACTRAN (Tayside & Central Transport) to consider improving the slip roads to the A9 at the Queen Victoria school junction. These are very short and therefore dangerous for road users. We also mentioned the need for a road bypassing the Keir roundabout between Dunblane and Bridge of Allan. SC have rejected a request for a 40mph limit on the road to Kinbuck - that will go to petition. |
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DCC has secured the sponsorship of a Stirling Councillor to verify that Dunblane will be elligible for a portion of the windfall funding should the Windburn wind farm development behind Dumyat be allowed to proceed. Dates of the meetings have now been advertised.
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Heritage |
The Old Bank building initiative has DCC's support and has now managed to secure 600 members supporting its vision to become an Arts and Heritage centre with a music / cinema room and a cafe.
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Community |
3 have decided not to proceed with the build of a mast by Dunblane Primary. Following DCC's raising of concerns, a number of councillors and Scottish ministers wrote to 3 (Hutchison) to reconsider the build of a 5G Telecoms Mast at Murdoch Terrace close to Dunblane Primary school. The letter details the legal precendent and scientific evidence that is starting to point towards 5G masts being a potential health hazard. Legislation permits utility companies to override such concerns, but it is hoped that level of pressure may cause 3 to reconsider.
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Housing |
Dandara have submitted a vision for a major development across the South and West of Dunblane DCC will respond with a Local Plan document. The Big Survey will be tailored to the vision with targeted questions around possibilities such as improvements funded by planning gain. |
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Green Spaces | Stirling Council has confirmed that work to repair the Memorial Bridge (opposite the War Memorial) will be completed by Remembrance Sunday. |
The Windburn 2 windfarm proposal is for land behind Dumyat. Parts of the turbines will potentially be seen from walks around Sherrifmuir and even from certain locations in Dunblane. On the other hand, onshore Wind is the most sustainable form of electricity generation there is and in addition, Dunblane would benefit from windfall funding. It is up to the community of Dunblane to decide. But how much would this windfall funding be? Please see the article below from the BBC :
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-67280163
Windburn Wind Farm: Public Exhibitions
Wind2 invites you to attend Public Exhibition events at which the latest draft proposals for the Windburn Wind Farm will be presented. The proposed Windburn Wind Farm is located on land within the Ochil Hills. The nearest proposed turbine is approximately 3.3km to the north of the settlement of Alva, 5.2km south of Blackford and approximately 5.6km south-east of the settlement of Greenloaning.Our current proposalsfor the site are for 14 wind turbines, each with a blade tip height of up to 149.9m, and ancillary infrastructure including battery storage. The Public Exhibitions will be held as follows:
Tuesday 14th November 2023 3.00pm to 7.00pm
The Dunblane Centre Stirling Road Dunblane Stirling FK15 9EY
The Public Exhibitions will provide an opportunity to gain information about the proposals and how they have progressed following the previous Public Exhibitions held in June, as well asto see visualisationsof how the wind farm may look if constructed. You will be invited to provide comments and feedback on the proposals as part of the consultation process. Members of the Wind2 team will be in attendance to field any questions that you may have whilst visiting the exhibitions.
Windburn Wind Farm: Public Exhibitions
Wind2 invites you to attend Public Exhibition events at which the latest draft proposals for the Windburn Wind Farm will be presented. The proposed Windburn Wind Farm is located on land within the Ochil Hills. The nearest proposed turbine is approximately 3.3km to the north of the settlement of Alva, 5.2km south of Blackford and approximately 5.6km south-east of the settlement of Greenloaning.Our current proposalsfor the site are for 14 wind turbines, each with a blade tip height of up to 149.9m, and ancillary infrastructure including battery storage. The Public Exhibitions will be held as follows:
Tuesday 14th November 2023 3.00pm to 7.00pm
The Dunblane Centre Stirling Road Dunblane Stirling FK15 9EY
The Public Exhibitions will provide an opportunity to gain information about the proposals and how they have progressed following the previous Public Exhibitions held in June, as well asto see visualisationsof how the wind farm may look if constructed. You will be invited to provide comments and feedback on the proposals as part of the consultation process. Members of the Wind2 team will be in attendance to field any questions that you may have whilst visiting the exhibitions.
For full details, please see the Scottish Gas Networks site :
https://sgn.co.uk/our-gas-works/major-planned-projects/dunblane-perth-road-area
The text is also available as an attachment below.
A spokesperson for 3 made the following statement :
Having reviewed the site, we have decided not to proceed with the build.
A number of Stirling Councillors and Scottish Ministers had previously appealed to 3 to consider alternative locations following requests by Dunblane Community Council.
The mast had been allowed to proceed going forward following an admin error at Stirling Council.
By Alastair McNeill 24Oct23 at the Stirling Observer
An ‘eleventh-hour’ appeal to a mobile phone giant was made this week to stop building a controversial 50ft mast in a residential area of Dunblane.
Clackmannanshire and Dunblane MSP Keith Brown and three Dunblane councillors – Alasdair Tollemache, Robin Kleinman and Douglas Dodds – are urging Three not to proceed with the project.
It emerged last month that the 5G mast – turned down by Stirling Council – was to go ahead due to an administrative blunder.
Yesterday (Tuesday) Three said it is currently “evaluating” the site near Dunblane Primary School, opposite Murdoch Terrace, and that no final decision on whether to build or not had been made.
Following the error, Stirling Council pointed out they had made “sustained” appeals to the applicant to discuss an alternative, but had not had any success. The applicant had previously said the installation would be safe and improve network coverage, but objectors had cited concerns over its appearance and alleged potential health risks.
Dunblane Primary School is around 500ft from the mast
In recent days, workers have been spotted at the site opposite Murdoch Terrace near the town’s primary school.
This week three Dunblane councillors – Alasdair Tollemache, Robin Kleinman and Douglas Dodds – issued a last minute appeal to Three. Two MSPs had objected to the proposal along with 12 residents from Dunblane.
The blunder came about after a crucial deadline was missed, allowing the mast to go ahead by default. MSP Alexander Stewart had described the error as “utterly inexcusable.” Under planning rules, applicants who seek to put up a telecoms structure can proceed if they have not had a response from the council within a 56-day period.
The notification application – submitted by CK Hutchison Networks (Three) – had been received and validated on November 16 last year and then formally refused for siting and design reasons on January 16 this year - six days after the January 10 deadline
The local authority blamed a system error for which they are said to be “extremely sorry”.
Dunblane Community Council had expressed “shock” at Stirling Council’s “incompetence” adding that it was “inexcusable especially given the local opposition” to the scheme.
Upset residents had contacted Dunblane and Bridge of Allan councillors last month to express their anger over the matter.
Three, however, had said that 5G rollout was “vital” for residents and businesses of Dunblane.
The councillors said in their statement urging Three not to go ahead: “We call upon CK Hutchison Networks (Three) even at the eleventh hour to abandon the erection of the mast and respect the decision of the council to reject this.
“We intend to write to CK Hutchison Networks (Three) and request that they now give due regard to the council’s decision and to the community’s strongly held view that the mast should not be erected on this site.”
Mr Brown said: “Planning applications exist for a reason, and it is important that the will of local residents, as represented by local authorities, is abided by.
“This has clearly been an error on Stirling Council’s part, so I have written to them regarding this case asking them to keep my office in the loop.
“I have also written to the Minister for Community Wealth and Public Finance, Tom Arthur, asking him to investigate and advise if there are any alternative actions that could be taken to enforce the democratic process which has decided against building the mast.
“While I understand that an administrative error has meant that the network provider is within their rights to proceed with the building of the tower, I’d urge CK Hutchison Networks (Three) to listen to the concerns of residents and the local a authority, and to move the building of this mast to another location.”
A Three spokesperson said this week: “A new mast in Dunblane is vital to supply residents and businesses with the 4G and 5G coverage and performance the town needs.
“While we try to keep mast sites as unobtrusive as possible, they do need to be situated near to where people will be using the service and, in many cases, in precise locations to ensure the widest breadth of coverage.
“We are currently evaluating a site in Murdoch Terrace and no final decision on whether to build or not has been taken.”
More...
Here are some of the key topics under discussion this month. Our full list of intiatives is on our home page
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Transport |
Dunblane Community Council (DCC) has asked Stirling Council to consider installing a pedestrian crossing on the dual carriageway across from the Dunblane Centre to improve road safety for people accessing the centre. DCC has asked Stirling Council to consider improving the slip roads to the A9 at the Queen Victoria school junction. These are very short and therefore dangerous for road users.
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DCC has secured the sponsorship of a Stirling Councillor to verify that Dunblane will be elligible for a portion of the windfall funding should the Windburn wind farm development behind Dumyat be allowed to proceed.
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Heritage |
The Old Bank initiative has DCC's support and has now managed to secure 600 members supporting its vision to become an Arts and Heritage centre with a music / cinema room and a cafe.
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Community |
DCC has written to Keith Brown MSP, to ask him to take action against the proposed build of a 5G Telecoms Mast at Murdoch Terrace close to Dunblane Primary school. The letter details the legal precendent and scientific evidence that is starting to point towards 5G masts being a potential health hazard. Keith Brown has in turn written to the responsible minister in the Scottish Government.
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Housing |
The proposed development of 44 houses in Kelly Wind has now gone to appeal. The Blairforkie development is on hold.
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Green Spaces | Stirling Council has confirmed that work to repair the Memorial Bridge (opposite the War Memorial) will be complted by Remembrance Sunday. |
The Scottish Central Railway (SCR) linking Dunblane to Stirling and Perth opened in on 1848, connecting with the Edinburgh to Glasgow line at Castlecary. A mere 17 years later it became part of the Caledonian Railway which in turn joined LMS in 1923. The engineer for the line was Joseph Locke who ranked alongside Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Robert Stephenson as one of the great railway pioneers. The SCR became the major shareholder for the Dunblane, Doune and Callander railway which opened in 1858. SCR fully aquired this line, the day before it was taken over by the Caledonian in 1865. The line was finally extended through to Crianlarich and Oban. A commemerative event is taking place....
The dual carriageway (B8033) from M&S to the Keir roundabout is frequently prone to flooding and closure. The Northbound carriageway was built to modern standards in the seventies at the same time as the M9 motorway. The Southbound carriageway has dips and bends and probably last had minor upgrades in the sixties and is prone to flooding. For this reason, Stirling Council have been keen for some time to reduce the road to be single carriageway using the modern half of the road. It would also free up the southbound half to be used as a segregated safe cycle route.
The Council argues that with a speed limit of 50, and little room for overtakes, little journey time difference would materialise. Others in Dunblane argue that they should retain the right to the fastest commute possible. Please let us know what you think, on Facebook, X or via Dunblane.info.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/flooding-closes-main-road-out-28979346
Here are some pictures from the "lake" hills
Update about The Bank – proposal to become a multi-functional, community owned, arts and hospitality venue.
The plans for the ex-Bank of Scotland building on the High Street in Dunblane will be outlined in 2 public meetings. In the next week, we will be going 'live' to the public and inviting them to become free members, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
Background For the past 9 months, a team of volunteers have been working to put together a plan for the building to be kept within the community and turn it into a destination that will be a positive addition to the town, taking in account feedback from community engagement. While some aspects of the proposal are similar to existing businesses, such as a café, it is our intention to minimise competition and instead to offer something new and exciting, to drive increased footfall and to contribute to the existing community efforts to revitalise the town centre. We will welcome collaboration with local businesses.
The Bank was bought in May 2023 by a local charity in order to save it for the community and funding is currently being sought through the UK government’s Community Ownership Fund to transfer ownership to Dunblane Square, a not-for-profit community company which will be owned by its members. Membership is free and open to anyone living in FK15. The company will be run by a board of volunteer directors, with all profits generated being re-invested back into the community. The project has already gained letters of support from Dunblane Community Council, Dunblane Development Trust and the Dunblane Centre.
Next Steps
The next step is to launch the vision to the public, enrol members (it's free) which will help us to secure funding to make the vision a reality. Critical to this development is ensuring that we communicate and engage with the local community and convert their support into membership as without large number of members, the initial funding for this transfer will not occur, putting the entire project in jeopardy.
If we are successful in the transfer and then successful in gaining further funding for the renovation, we hope to start works on site in early 2024 and open fully in late Summer 2024, pending planning permission.
The Vision
The vision is to redevelop the building into a multi-functional, community owned, arts and hospitality venue, named The Bank. It will be made up of two core areas:
1. A music/cinema/lecture room
2. A café/restaurant area
Additionally, a staff area, toilets and a professional kitchen will be included. The building design and overall running ethos will be focused on zero waste - through sustainable building and energy practice and then applying this to the café/restaurant management.
Area 1 (the old Bank Hall) - Cinema and Music Area 1 will be for a community cinema, music performance and lectures. It will be open plan with a high ceiling and external access. The room will be sound proofed though acoustic barriers and will contain a large retractable screen, PA system and a removable stage. We envision initially running three films per week - one weekend evening film, one weekday afternoon film and a family-friendly film on a Sunday. This would be a matinee movie every Sunday, running at the same time as a lunch offering, to provide an opportunity for parents to enjoy a meal out while their kids are watching a film in the cinema. We hope to start with at least one music event per week, and plan to host a variety of music genres. Talk and lectures will cover a whole variety of topics including, but not limited to, local history, sustainability, and ecological revival. We welcome all suggestions. The space will also be open for rental by the community.
Area 2 (ground floor of the Bank House) - Cafe & Restaurant Area 2 will be used for food and drinks. Additionally, a large glass extension on the west side of the building will provide a further seating area and some welcome sunlight. The Bank will use this space to host a ‘Supper Club’ style restaurant with guest chefs, initially one evening every weekend. The ‘Supper Club’ evenings will be done collaboratively with the guest chefs, including marketing, giving opportunity to showcase The Bank, and therefore Dunblane, to a wider market. The Sunday lunch offering will also run from this space. During the day, a café and small delicatessen will run for 6 days/week, serving exciting café food from 10am-4pm and with the deli having a weekly rotating selection of limited supply produce from a local small enterprise (e.g. a specific cheesemonger). There are plenty of opportunities here for collaborations with existing vendors through promotions and advertising, and these will be actively sought. The space will be dog and family friendly, and Area 1 provides a space for parents to come with their children during the day which is large enough for them to play safely. Additionally, this room will function as a bar and extra seating area during events. The kitchen will also be designed such that it can be used for training, cooking classes or a start-up food business (e.g. small bakery).
Helping Dunblane Thrive
Through this varied and new offering, it is expected that The Bank will attract increased numbers of visitors and more of the local community to the town centre regularly. By drawing more people to Dunblane town centre all businesses will thrive and prosper. As stated, we want to support local businesses and help put Dunblane on the map as a destination.
Located at the gateway to the historic centre of Dunblane, The Bank is ideally situated to be the new central focus point in Dunblane, attracting both tourists and the increased numbers and demographics from the local community down to the town centre. Due to its size and location, The Bank could be used as a new information point for Dunblane and be the starting point for historic tours, day-walks and cycles, thus attracting increased numbers down to the town centre. We have started engaging with Visit Scotland to make sure we are aligned with any local and regional tourism plans.
Next public events
We plan to hold two informal public Town Hall events in The Bank on Monday 2nd October from 2-3pm and 7-8pm to invite residents of Dunblane into the premises and for the existing committee to give a 20-min presentation on the plans and offer the opportunity for questions and input.
Following this, the bank building will be open for the Christmas Extravaganza event on 30th November 2023, where we will showcase the vision and invite further community engagement on the project.
How you can help
You can help support the project by joining as a free member and helping us spread the word in the community. One way of doing this is supporting us through social media and sharing posts.
Contact us
We would actively encourage you to reach out to us with any comments or suggestions.
Our main email contact is: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Our key people can be seen on the Who We Are page on our website.
You can read more on our website: https://thebankdunblane.org/
Our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheBankDunblane
Our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/thebankdunblane/
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
