Lower Station Yard
Background
The Trust signed it's second 10 year lease of Lower Station Yard in 2015, with a view to managing and developing the site, as requested in our Community Action Plan. During our previous lease we upgraded the area by improving parking, establishing a picnic area, and some sympathetic planting.
Lower Station Yard Redevelopment Project
In 2017 there were serious concerns about antisocial behaviour of some visitors, namely defecating in the bushes to the rear of the car park. Following a meeting with the National Park, Stirling Council and the Forestry Commission, as was, we agreed to work in partnership with the Council and National Park to develop the site. This would include upgrading the parking, including better drainage and marked bays, and the construction of seasonal toilets.
Nevertheless, it became clear in 2019 that Stirling Council would not be supporting the project and they are currently investigating building housing on the site. The infrastructure developments on Lower Station Yard have been cancelled.
What happens next?
Our current lease expires in 2025, and we will continue to manage the site until this time. We plan to provide seasonal portaloos as we did in 2018 and 2019 (we could not in 2020 due to the pandemic), and keep the site tidy and maintained. We have not yet decided whether to continue our lease beyond 2025, and as Stirling Council is looking into building houses on the site, it is unlikely to be extended.
This page related to the western side of the side, the car park and picnic area, while the eastern side of the site is the location of Crianlarich Community Garden.