Brakes put on controversial Balmaha road works for now

A proposed road closure in Balmaha, which could have ‘‘cut the place off for weeks’,’ has been put on hold following complaints from residents.

The B837 road into the village was set to shut from June 24 to July 5 apart from two 30-minute periods during the day.

Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford last week wrote to the chief executive of Stirling Council Carol Beattie highlighting residents’ concerns about the closure.

He said the works, due to take place in the school holidays, would “have a serious impact on businesses in the area” and could “effectively cut the place off for almost a two-week period”.

Responding to Mr Crawford, Stirling Council’s senior manager of environment and place, Bruce Reekie, announced the works would no longer take place during the holidays and will be rescheduled for later this year.

He said: “The road improvement works scheduled for the B837 form part of the council’s capital road investment programme to address a backlog of road repairs throughout the council’s road network that are necessary to maintain safe and accessible passage for communities and visitors.

“Colleagues are currently in the process of looking at our maintenance programme to find the most appropriate time period and will be in contact with yourself and other stakeholders to engage at the earliest opportunity.”

Mr Crawford commented: “I am pleased therefore that this decision has been taken.

“It is vital that our road network is properly maintained, and this stretch of road is in need of maintenance.

“However, it is also important that this is done with careful consideration for the impact that such works can have on communities. Therefore, this decision is a win for the local community and I am grateful to those who took the time to raise this issue with me.”