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Plea to stop march of progress at battlefield

Plea to stop march of progress at battlefield

A Highland councillor is urging Alex Salmond to overturn a controversial decision to allow homes to be built close to Culloden Battlefield.

Inverness South councillor Jim Crawford, whose ward covers the historic site of the last pitched battle on British soil, said the first minister should also fund a bid for World Heritage status to help safeguard the site for future generations.

A plan by local developers Inverness Properties to knock down old farm buildings and construct 16 homes within the inventory site of the battlefield was rejected by Highland Council, against the advice of council planners.

The subsequent decision by Scottish Government planning reporter Richard Hickman to grant planning permission on appeal has provoked criticism from across the globe.

Now, Mr Crawford has challenged the first minister to step in to the controversy.

The Independent councillor said: “I’m making an open request to Alex Salmond to overturn this decision.

“Culloden Battlefield is so important and is known internationally as a site of great value.

“I’m now relying on Alex Salmond to show some degree of leadership to ensure this development does not happen and to stop future development at this internationally important site by making sure the battlefield and surrounding areas have complete protection for all time.”

Mr Crawford believes the only way to ensure development does not encroach on the site of the historic 1746 battle, which resulted in the deaths of 2,000 soldiers as Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite army were defeated by government forces, is to make it a World Heritage Site.

He said: “This is so important that the Scottish Government should find the funds centrally and should push for World Heritage status.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said the reporter concluded that the proposed houses would fit largely within the footprint of the existing buildings but would be significantly lower, thus forming a “much less prominent feature” in the landscape.

He added: “The reporter also agreed with Historic Scotland’s view that the new development would not have an adverse impact on the integrity or significance of the battlefield.”