Fraser welcomes further step towards new Bannockburn Visitor Centre

The Heritage Lottery Fund has pledged £3.69m towards the new £10m Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre.

Murdo Fraser, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid-Scotland & Fife, said:

"This is a very welcome development at a crucial time for a hugely important project.

"I have been campaigning for a new and visionary centre to be built at Bannockburn to reflect the importance of this battle in our history. I first raised this issue with the then Culture Minister in September 2009 and was delighted when our pressure on the Scottish Government led to an announcement in October 2010 that a new visitor centre will be built at the site. Now we have support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which is a great boost for Stirling and the surrounding area as a new centre will bring in thousands more visitors.

"The battle of Bannockburn was a decisive moment in the first War of Independence and it is only right that we protect the site as a memorial to the men that fought and died here. With the 700th anniversary of this pivotal event fast approaching, it is important that we have a Heritage Centre that is fit to reflect the importance of Bannockburn."

1) Below is an exchange from the Scottish Parliament in September 2009:

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the National Trust for Scotland regarding the future of the Bannockburn heritage centre. (S3O-7800)

The Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution (Michael Russell): It is broadly recognised by the National Trust for Scotland and by others that the visitor facilities at Bannockburn are in need of significant improvement. In 2008-09, the Government provided a grant of £150,000 to improve the educational facilities. That was spent mainly on a new educational video, which was launched recently. In 2009-10, a further £180,000 was made available to provide grants to school parties to visit Culloden, Bannockburn and, in due course, the Burns museum.

The year 2014 will be the 700th anniversary of the battle. I have asked my officials at Historic Scotland to work in partnership with the National Trust to develop appropriate proposals for improving visitor facilities in time for the anniversary and to explore how more synergy between Bannockburn and Stirling castle, which is in the care of Historic Scotland on behalf of Scottish ministers, can be achieved. Discussions between the two organisations about the nature and scope of such a project have commenced but are at a very early stage.

Murdo Fraser: I am grateful to the minister for his response, which has largely pre-empted my supplementary question. I had been going to ask him whether he accepted that the Bannockburn centre requires upgrading, particularly when it is compared with the excellent centre that has been created at Culloden. Given that it will be the 700th anniversary of the battle in five years' time, now would be an appropriate time to consider launching a public appeal for funds.

I am also grateful to the minister for his commitment. Will the Scottish Government work with the NTS to establish whether an upgrade of the Bannockburn centre can be brought about so that we can all celebrate and commemorate the 700th anniversary appropriately, without, of course, straying into the field of narrow nationalism?

Michael Russell: I was willing to welcome Murdo Fraser's words until he got to that last sentence. I was going to welcome his change of heart. At the weekend, he took extraordinary offence at the sight of children with wooden swords, presumably because he thought that they were threatening my friend Mr Brown, who was in the photograph as well, and denounced the whole concept of people visiting Bannockburn. Indeed, I thought that his idea of celebrating the 700th anniversary might be to build on the site or to put a wall around it.

The reality is that, like many sites in Scotland, Bannockburn is an enormously important site. Essentially, it is the cradle of the modern Scottish nation. In those circumstances, it is entirely appropriate for us to find ways to celebrate it. Improving the facilities is the first part of that. Now that Mr Fraser stands behind the project, nothing will be able to get in its way.

2) During Ministers' Question Time on 10th June 2010, Murdo Fraser MSP asked the Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop MSP to outline what discussions the Scottish Government has had with the National Trust for Scotland regarding the future of the Bannockburn Heritage Centre. In response, the Culture Minister stated:

"Historic Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland and the centre for digital and visualisation have been working together successfully to progress the preliminary stages of the battle of Bannockburn project. The first draft of the business plan is in production. The project will form one of the centrepiece developments for Homecoming 2014, planning for which has already stated.

In the Chamber, Murdo said in reply:

"I thank the Minister for that welcome news. As we know, the 700th anniversary of the battle of Bannockburn, which is during the 2014 year of Homecoming, is coming up. I am sure that the Minister agrees that the Bannockburn Visitor Centre is now looking very tired and in need of refurbishment. Will she consider the model that the National Trust developed at Culloden battlefield, for example, as one that could be followed to develop a fitting visitor centre at Bannockburn that will attract visitors to the Stirling area and, indeed, to Scotland?"

The Culture Minister responded, stating:

"I assure the member that the plans for Bannockburn are extremely ambitious and exciting. We are nearing the end of a European tendering exercise. Submissions are about to be made by an appointed architect-led design team."

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