Fight to ensure protection of historic Culloden battlefield site

IT is the site of one of the most famous battles in Scottish history.

The Battle of Culloden recreated . Picture: TSPL

And now a public consultation has been launched by the National Trust of Scotland to ensure the long-term protection of Culloden Moor, the site of the 1745 battle.

This pivotal moment in Scotland’s history was where the 1745 Jacobite Rising came to a tragic and brutal end.

Today, the landscape - which is a place of great cultural significance - has become the scene of another conflict with developers pushing forward plans that encroach on the site.

The current legal safeguards do not protect the area, and campaigners worry the development, with plans for housing and businesses, will ruin the historic landscape.

Now, the National Trust for Scotland is inviting the public to get involved in a consultation that will create a vision for the landscape.

Raoul Curtis-Machin, Operations Manager for Culloden Battlefield and Visitor Centre at the National Trust for Scotland, said: “Culloden is a place that many people are passionate about for its important place in Scotland’s story. We want to hear people’s views on their hopes for Culloden’s future and how this site should be protected and presented for future generations.

“The reality is that there are pressures for land in this area and what we want to achieve is a planned and positive approach that protects Culloden and what it represents to so many people.

“We know what getting this wrong means – we just need to look at Bannockburn to see how a piecemeal approach to planning can harm our important historical sites. That’s why we are acting now and seeking the input and expertise from everyone who feels a connection with Culloden and its story.”

The Culloden 300 consultation will run from 4 April 2019 – 31 August 2019, with an exhibition at Leanach Cottage on the battlefield site. A survey can be filled out here: www.culloden300.org.uk