NTS rejects plea for closure rethink
Disappointed Stirling SNP politicians have failed to persuade National Trust for Scotland to ditch a decision to mothball Bannockburn Visitor Centre.
Alyn Smith MP, Bruce Crawford MSP and Stirling Council leader Scott Farmer held an emergency video conference with the trust’s chief executive Simon Skinner last week.
But this week NTS formally published the list of planned closures on its website and Bannockburn is not scheduled to reopen until the season 2022/23.
Scott Farmer said: “I’m deeply disappointed that, following our discussions and promises of consultation with the council, NTS have pushed ahead with publishing this as a planned and extensive closure.
“My door is always open to discuss how we can work constructively to reopen the Bannockburn Centre as soon as possible and I will be seeking a meeting with the new NTS chief executive Philip Long when he takes up the post in a couple of weeks.
“The Stirling area benefits from its strong tourism sector, with our national history and heritage at the centre of what we’re about. Losing the Bannockburn Centre for a prolonged period of time will undoubtedly have an impact on the wider Stirling economy, affecting not just the jobs directly linked to NTS but those in the tourism and hospitality sector as well.”
Bruce Crawford said: “There are challenges around finances as a result of the Covid-19 crisis that all organisations face but NTS need to start thinking more imaginatively about how they meet these challenges. This prolonged closure is simply unjustifiable.”
Alyn Smith urged NTS to look at the matter again: “This is about legacy and the National Trust exists to bring our history and heritage to current and future generations. The impact this will have on jobs in the local area will be detrimental and school pupils who would have otherwise visited the centre and learned through its unique experience about our nation’s history are set to lose out on that.”
Mr Skinner yesterday expressed sorrow at the “drastic” action proposed by NTS but pointed out the trust expects a loss of half of its income this year, potentially followed by a loss of a third of its income in 2021 due to the pandemic’s lingering economic impact.
He added: “Bannockburn cost £600,000 more to run than it brought in in income last year and relies upon the rest of our estate to fund the difference. With half our income wiped out already, that will not be possible this year.
“In short, we’re in a real crisis and in survival mode and we’re having to plan ahead based on what we think we can afford to do.
I’m disappointed that NTS have pushed ahead with this Scott Farmer
“Unlike the operators of Stirling Castle, Historic Environment Scotland, we are not publicly funded and very sadly are forced to consider redundancies. That is why we have approached the Scottish Government for help but at this stage we have no certainty that this will be forthcoming.”
Mr Skinner added the Bannockburn Visitor Centre “is not the easiest place to viably enact social distancing.
“The battle game, for example, is intended for large groups of people to stand around it and participate in each session. The ongoing restrictions mean that only a very few would be able to participate at any one time.
“Also one of the centre’s main sources of traffic is school visits, which have been declining over time and are likely to be reduced still further or even not be possible at all in future, given the issues faced by education authorities and the practicalities of reduced school hours, transportation and social distancing.”