You can drop in to speak to your local Councillors at the upcoming surgery sessions.
Poster 2023 01 02 03 (Jan) (Feb) (Mar)A by-election to fill a Councillor position for Ward 3 Bridge of Allan and Dunblane will take place on Thursday 25th of January. The Allan Centre will be the local polling station and will be open from 7am to 10pm
In November 2023, a plot of open space on Sunnylaw Road (between Mine and Mid Woods) was advertised for sale at auction. The area, which comprises roughly 2.4 hectares, is shown on the image above. This green space is currently open public space, and while privately owned it has been maintained by Stirling Council on behalf of the community. However, this maintenance is due to end this year as the council looks to make savings.
Many community members were concerned about the sale and the potential for the land to be sold for development. The community council shared this concern and first discussed the issue at our November meeting, with many local residents in attendance. We agreed at that meeting to set up a separate open discussion on the sale of the land at Sunnylaw, with all interested groups agreeing to come along. The purpose of the group is to explore options for keeping the land in community use and ownership for years to come.
At the first meeting of the Sunnylaw Land Group we heard ideas and suggestions from local groups and residents about how the community could purchase the land. We agreed at that meeting to contact the sellers and their agents to ask that the land was removed from the auction and consideration was given to gifting /transferring the land to the community. We have now heard back from the sellers to confirm they are happy to postpone auction of the land to allow a discussion with the community about options for purchasing the land.
We have met twice since that first meeting to discuss our options and agree a way forward – with a first step being to undertake a community survey to understand the views of as many Bridge of Allan residents as possible. The survey will be launching soon and we hope you take a few minutes to give us your views. The survey will seek views about current and possible future use of the land, and options for funding a purchase. Some community groups have expressed an interest in using some of the land – we need to understand how residents feel about this.
A community purchase of the land ensures that it can remain as a public open space, which is in line with the current planning framework for the area through the Local Development Plan. We are also starting work on the development of a Local Place Plan for the area, which will give the Council a clear direction from the Bridge of Allan community on our priorities for our local community.
A small group of interested residents, with support from a group of Community Councillors, have continued to meet and explore options for the purchase with a view to sourcing funding and offering on the land. While we have enthusiasm and commitment in the group, we don’t have all the professional knowledge, skills and experience that will be needed. Input from wider residents and those with that expertise is welcome as this process develops.
Our October meeting minutes are now available to read in full by clicking here
At the meeting we discussed
Minutes for the latest November meeting will be available after their approval at the next meeting. However news on the progress of projects and local issues will also be shared via our website and social media accounts, so sign up to our mailing list or follow us to find out our news.
Minutes from all our past meetings can be found on our meetings page
Our Christmas Lights are now up and ready for Switch On 
Our November agenda has been updated to include an item on the Sunnylaw land sale.
We became aware of this land auction, with a date set for December 7th, only last week. We have made enquiries to establish that the land is in private ownership.
The area is a well used and appreciated green and open space for recreation. In discussion with local elected members and neighboring residents we are looking into all options to retain this public amenity space. We have contacted the seller and sought advice from community land scotland regarding potentially registering a Community Right to Buy.
sunnylaw
Give your views on whether you agree with proposed budget cuts and how you might be affected through a survey, hosted on the Council’s Engage Stirling platform,
Stirling Council has launched an online survey for residents to have their say on proposals to bridge an estimated £13 million budget gap in the next financial year.
The Council must make up this shortfall to balance the budget despite making significant savings of around £6 million in the current financial year.
The majority of Scottish councils’ funding comes from the Scottish Government. In Stirling Council nearly 79% of the budget comes from a Scottish Government grant and our share of the Government’s non-domestic rates or business rates, with the rest raised from council tax to support the budget.
A new round of drop-in events are currently taking place across the Stirling area following community engagement sessions that took place in August and September.
Stirling Council Leader, Cllr Chris Kane said: “These are all proposals and no decisions have been taken yet.
“To help us make these difficult decisions when we set the Council’s budget, we need to know how these potential savings or increase in charges would impact you.
“These proposals have been developed by every Council service and cover the likes of schools, nurseries, roads, waste, housing, transport, libraries, community centres and parks and greenspaces. They will impact everyone who lives, works and studies in Stirling. So it’s really important that you take part in this survey and tell us your views.”
Residents can learn more about the proposals and the Council’s challenging financial situation at the latest Big Conversation drop-in events, with staff from various services in attendance at each one.
Cllr Kane added: “The proposed savings make for stark reading and underline the incredibly tough decisions we will have to make to set a balanced budget.
A selection of the proposed savings or increases in charges are listed below:
More details and the full list of proposals can be found in the online survey on the Engage Stirling platform.
See below for dates and times of the remaining round of Big Conversation drop-in events:
For more information, please visit stirling.gov.uk/bigconversation
Remember to use the hashtag #BigConversation2425 to provide feedback and ideas on our social media channels.
