Public inquiry to be held into plans for A9 on battle site
A PUBLIC inquiry is to be held into controversial plans to widen and re-route one of Scotland’s busiest roads through the site of one of the country’s most historic battles.
The Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689 during the First Jacobite uprising is thought to be the first in Britain in which hand grenades were used – a fragment of a grenade was found on the site in 2004.
Immortalised in the song The Braes o’ Killiecrankie, it was also the first battle in which the plug bayonet is recorded as being used by British troops.
The Jacobites achieved a stunning victory over forces supporting the new government of William III but at enormous cost – nearly one-third of the Jacobite force were killed, including their leader John Graham, Viscount Dundee, who was fatally wounded towards the end
Transport Scotland has revealed the Killiecrankie to Glen Garry stretch of the £3 billion A9 dualling project is now “subject to statutory process” and an inquiry will take place in due course.
The move follows pressure from the Killiecrankie 1689 group set up to protect the designated battlefield. Campaigners say Transport Scotland has been sent nearly 200 objections.
George Maclean, of Killiecrankie 1689, said: “At first, Transport Scotland refused to tell us how many objections had been received but now, 14 weeks after the objection period closed, it confirmed the number. The process has been flawed from the start. The area of the designated battlefield should have been central to the plan so the sensitive part of it is not damaged.”
Mr Maclean said Historic Environment Scotland (HES) had highlighted “gaps” in Transport Scotland’s assessment methodology.
He said: “HES says far too little research and fieldwork has been done on archaeological and physical remains relating to the battle and Transport Scotland has not understood the relevance or importance of the battlefield’s topography and landscape.”
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “This is now subject to the statutory process and evidence will be heard at a public inquiry. Scottish ministers will thereafter be called upon to determine this case so it is not appropriate to comment on the proposals or the objections raised”.