Anger after Engine Shed wins award
New parking protest
Stirling’s Engine Shed, which has been criticised over disabled access, has been named the region’s top visitor attraction.
The £11 million building conservation hub opened in July 2017.
It was last week named best visitor attraction in Central, Fife and Tayside at the regional Scottish Thistle Awards.
The facility in Forthside Way is run by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), serving as a central hub for building and conservation professionals. It is also open to the public.
Development began in 2013 to extend the Since opening it has been awarded five top industry accolades, including being named one of the best new buildings in Scotland at the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland Awards 2018.
Now the Engine Shed will compete with the other regional winners for the title of Scotland’s best visitor attraction in the national finals lof the Scottish Thistle Awards in March. The awards are run by Visitscotland.
In addition to winning the regional visitor attraction award, it was a finalist in the innovation in tourism category.
Dorothy Hoskins from the Engine Shed said: “Since opening we have received fantastic feedback from visitors and we hope our unique visitor experience will continue to inspire future generations to care for Scotland’s built heritage.”
The Engine Shed was converted from a former munitions shed used by the Ministry of Defence.
Soon after opening the complex came under fire from the Stirling Area Access Panel for failing to created dedicated parking spaces for disabled visitors close to the building. The nearest disabled parking spaces are outside the 45-50 metre regulatory distance.
Stirling Council’s planning panel agreed to waive the condition despite complaints from a number of councillors.
In June this year access panel members were angered after the building scooped three top design awards, despite failing to provide a single disabled parking space nearby.
Panel chair Robert Dick said the Engine Shed was an “exceptionally interesting attraction” but he lamented the failure of HES and Stirling Council to resolve the parking issue.
“We do wonder what inclusive criteria the Scottish Thistle Awards judges use when they assess a facility,” he said.
“They have not considered the 20 per cent of the population who are disabled and who will struggle to reach or not be able to enjoy or be forced to bypass this very costly, public-funded building.
“If they had looked at comments on Euan’s Guide (used by disabled people to review access arrangements at buildings and attractions) they would see comments about the Engine Shed made by people with visual and hearing impairment, as well as comments from those with mobility issues.”
We do wonder what inclusive criteria the Scottish Thistle Awards judges use