200 trees felled at Plean park
Two hundred birch trees have been felled at Plean Country Park to make room for extra parking spaces.
More trees are being planted at a nearby site in the park, however, in a bid to safeguard the landscape.
Excavations were due to begin this week to add drainage and surfacing and the extension works are expected to be completed in around four or five weeks.
Stirling Council has apologised to visitors to the park for any inconvenience during the process.
The work will add 48 extra parking spaces (including three disabled spaces) for the woodland area.
The new spaces will be located next to the existing car park.
The number of spaces was based on demand identified by the Friends of Plean Country Park and the area ranger.
Friends of Plean Country Park said: “Prior to construction a number of birch trees will be felled and the root plates removed.
“The landscaping will include a large number of new trees.
“None of the big established trees along the North Drive will be affected.
“There will be a tarred roadway within the extension but the parking bays will be ground reinforcement with grass infill. Open areas at the rear of the site will be sown with wildflowers.
“To facilitate this work and for public safety some of the parking spaces will be fenced off and unavailable.
“During felling the two pathways from the car park to the North Drive may also be closed for a period.”
Popular parkrun events were believed to have put pressure on existing parking at the 200-acre country park, however it has become an increasing attraction for visitors in general in recent years.
Plean parkrun was set up two years ago, in November 2017, and is one of 1400 locations in 22 countries where runners gather each Saturday to tackle a five-kilometre course.
Stirling Council planners approved a planning application for the work at the end of last year, which had attracted no objections.
They had said: “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.
“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 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.”