MP to speak at Gillies march
Stirling’s new MP and local man Steven Paterson is to be the main speaker at the annual March of the Gillies later this month.
The march, which began in 2007, takes place on Sunday, June 21, at 1.45pm from Cambusbarron Public Park. Organisers say it is particularly significant this year as Stirling Council are considering plans by Patersons’ Quarries - which have been the subject of more than 300 protest letters.
Peter Paterson, of Save Gillies Hill campaign, said: “Almost 100 per cent of the population are against any further destruction of the historic hill where the ghillies, or servants of 1314, were placed by Bruce on the eve of the battle before he went to Cambusbarron Chapel, prayed there and took water from its legendary well to pour on to the battlefield.
Patersons Quarries Ltd lodged a proposal with Stirling Council to extract 300,000 tonnes of rock from the existing Murrayshall Quarry at Gillies Hill. Extraction could generate up to 132 lorry movements a day with trucks heading to the M9 via Polmaise Road and parts of King’s Park.
The developers say the scheme will create six jobs plus work for hauliers, fitters and electricians and allow the exploitation of good quality aggregate for the construction industry.
Planning permission to quarry the site was originally granted in 1982, but campaigners have argued that this should never have been granted without an Environmental Impact Assessment being carried out.