Home   News   Article

Food fight: Catering van plans for Culloden Battlefield causing ‘concerns’


By Neil MacPhail

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!
How the catering trailer would look.
How the catering trailer would look.

A BATTLEFIELD ‘burger van’ is planned at Culloden – sparking concerns over its impact on the atmospheric landscape of the Jacobites’ last stand.

A government agency and local councillors have questioned the suitability of the plan by National Trust for Scotland, which is seeking ways to accommodate visitors at its overcrowded café.

The 6m long triple-axle catering unit, similar to those seen at fairgrounds and agricultural shows, is being brought in because a massive number of visitors are now coming to the battlefield and causing lengthy queues for food inside the visitor centre.

Last year there were more than 201,000 visitors to Culloden compared with 183,000 the previous year – and the site’s popularity is continuing to rise.

But Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has questioned the sensitivity of the proposed van – which would be located on grass just outside the visitor centre building’s main entrance.

In a report to Highland Council planners it did not object to the proposal, but warned: “The visitor centre… is visually prominent across the core of the battlefield and it is likely that it has been built on or very close to where the government army’s left flank formed up at the start of the battle. This is therefore a very sensitive part of the battlefield.

“The location for the catering van is close to the visitor centre and car parking but immediately outwith the manicured landscaping around the centre. This would therefore be an expansion of visitor facilities outwith the existing visual envelope of the centre, extending into undeveloped ground and closer to the government lines, where it would be visible from across the core of the battlefield."

Full story in today's Highland News.


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More