Extra parking off and running
Park to get more spaces
Parking at Plean Country Park is to be extended after popular parkrun events put pressure on existing parking.
Stirling Council has been granted permission by its own planners for 48 new spaces, including three for accessible/ disabled parking, at the 200-acre park.
Conditions include, however, that a tree survey be submitted and approved before work begins.
In their decision, planners said: “The number of spaces is based on demand for additional parking within the country park identified by the Friends of Plean
Country Park and the area ranger.
“The number of additional parking spaces proposed was based on parking shortages on Saturdays when the parkrun event takes place. Due to participants and other park users being unable to obtain a space in the existing car park, they were parking in the horse trailer car park and outside the park on Cadgers Loan, which is a public road.”
Roads officers had asked for some amendments to parking bay dimensions, disabled bays and a turning area from those specified in a previous submission.
“The area for the proposed car park has a uniform cover of fairly similar aged maturing birch trees,” added planning officials.
“On either side of the site are core paths which are not affected by the proposed carpark. There are a number of older, mature native trees growing along the edge of this track which are not affected by the proposal.
“The council’s tree officer has advised that a condition which requires the submission of a tree survey which takes into account the panel of trees within the site in relation to the proposed parking layout is acceptable.
“Furthermore, the tree officer has advised on conditions requiring tree protection of adjacent trees during construction period, detailed proposals for new planting, no lopping, topping and felling, and an arboricultural method statement.
“The location and layout of the proposed parking, subject to new planting would integrate visually with the setting and amenity of Plean Country Park and provide additional parking which will facilitate events to encourage regular use of the country park.”
There were no objections.
Plean parkrun was set up two years ago, in November 2017, and is one of 1400 locations in 22 countries were runners gather each Saturday to tackle a fivekilometre course.
At the end of last month 82 people walked or jogged the Plean course to mark parkrun’s 100th event there.