St Kessog’s campaign

St Kessog's in Ancaster Square.

Once again, the future of St Kessog's in Ancaster Square hangs in the balance. Callander Community Development Trust, in partnership with the BLV, is seeking your ideas about new ways in which Callander's much-loved architectural focal point could be used to serve the community and become self-financing.

Let's start with some history. In 1843, the growth of evangelism within the Church of Scotland gave rise to a schism, which in turn led to the establishment of the Free Church of Scotland. Callander's congregation, which since 1772 had worshipped in the Reformed Church in Ancaster Square, split and in 1844 the Free Church contingent moved into the new St Bride's Church in South Church Street. Meanwhile, spurred largely by Queen Victoria's enthusiasm for Scotland, visitors began flocking to Callander. The Reformed Church building was no longer big enough and in 1883 St Kessog's Church, designed in the Gothic style by Robert Baldie, was built to replace it.

A hundred and forty-one years later, however, the two congregations of St Kessog's and St Bride's reunited and have been based ever since at the former St Bride's Church, now known as Callander Kirk. In 1987, St Kessog's new owners Stirling Council announced plans for the building's conversion into a visitor centre. Inevitably, this decision caused a certain amount of controversy, particularly among members of its old congregation. Today, however, we are all grateful to its present occupants, the Visit Scotland team, for their sterling work in promoting Callander as a visitor destination. Their professionalism is unstinting and their work is vital to the local economy.

Like all historic buildings, St Kessog's requires constant maintenance and its upkeep is costly. There are no immediate plans to close the visitor centre, and we sincerely hope that Visit Scotland retains its presence in Callander because it is of immense value to visitors and locals alike. But now that the first floor of St Kessog's lies vacant, having been vacated by the old Rob Roy exhibit, the building is not paying for itself. If this fine example of Scottish Gothic architecture is to be preserved then a viable plan for its usage, repair and upkeep must be decided.

It is crystal clear that locals do not want the building to fall into the hands of residential developers. A number of alternative ideas have been put forward by the community to Callander Community Development Trust and Callander & District Heritage Society who, in turn, are discussing those ideas with Callander Community Council, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park and Stirling Council.

Participate in the discussion

Whether you are a local resident or business owner or a visitor to Callander, your views on the future of St Kessog's are important. We have produced a questionnaire on the subject and would be grateful if you would please fill it in and submit it to us at the BLV. We will pass it on to Callander Community Development Trust. To download a copy of the questionnaire in Word™ format please click (Mac)/right-click (PC) here. Completed questionnaires can be returned either by post/hand to the BLV or via email. Both addresses are shown below.

Do please pass on the link to this page (www.benlediview.co.uk/campaigns.html) to friends and family members who might also be interested in contributing their thoughts on St Kessog's future.

Thank you for contributing to this survey.

By post

The Ben Ledi View,
c/o Callander Community Library,
South Church Street,
CALLANDER,
Perthshire
FK17 8BN

By email

Please . NB Please mark your message's subject line: St Kessog's Campaign.

Photo: A Cadzow. For more about the history of the churches in Callander, please see Ken Dunn's article at Callander Kirk's website.

Local Plan

A construction digger rips up a greenfield site.

Stirling Council and the National Park's Local Plans for development in and around Callander affect us all and it is crucial that, as residents and business owners, we participate in and keep abreast of the decision-making process and its outcomes. For instance, we are all aware of the local need for low-cost, accessible and sustainable housing; however, it is extremely difficult to quantify that demand unless people articulate what they need from planners in respect of future housing development. If we are bemused by prospective developers' suggestions for 'luxury' housing schemes then we have only ourselves to blame for not speaking up.

There are other considerations too: the antiquated drainage and sewerage infrastructure is barely adequate for the needs of the existing population; only one road bridge exists across this part of the Teith; local services and infrastructure are already stretched. Most importantly, every time another building is put up, more soil is sealed, thus reducing natural drainage. It may not seem like a big thing but, collectively, every tree that's cut down, every bit of ground that's built on or paved over, every section of artificial drainage that's installed ... all of these things compromise the land's natural capacity to deal with this area's high rainfall. The consequences - increased vulnerability to flooding - are obvious.

Development for housing always comes at a cost to natural ecosystems, and since Callander's environment is such an integral part of its economy - the town's beautiful surroundings and wildlife attract not only visitors but also long-term residents and businesses (in short, investment) - it is essential that the potential impact of all development proposals are considered thoroughly and with the assistance of appropriately qualified experts. Sustainability is no longer a matter of choice, it is crucial to Callander's future. Without our environment we are nothing.

Apathy is not an option
A tranquil, misty beech forest with a mossy rock in the foreground.

If we do not ensure that housing stock is within the financial reach of local people then first-time buyers will drift away and we shall lose our young people who are our town's future. However, if we fail to preserve Callander's unique character - its outstanding natural environment, wildlife and geomorphologic heritage, and its built heritage and archaeology - and we spoil it through poor design or over-development then it is likely that some residents and businesses will decide to sell up, and visitors will spend their holidays elsewhere. Needless to say, either outcome would spell social and economic ruin for Callander.

We need to strike a balance and to think creatively and responsibly. We need to think long-term and in the broadest possible terms - to pull our heads out of the sand and work out where our town is heading. In doing so we must look at Callander in context: what developments are planned for neighbouring communities, and what employment opportunities are available, not only to our existing population but also to those who might choose to relocate to Callander? Are we, as a small town, capable of attracting community-spirited, enterprising people who will boost the local jobs market and enable us to break free from the seasonality of tourism? Is further development economically and environmentally sustainable? It is incumbent on us all to stand up and be counted; to express our views even if we are not asked for them; and to take a holistic approach to planning Callander's future.

To access Stirling Council's index of documents regarding the existing Local Plan, please click here.

The National Park, having taken over as our local planning authority, is currently putting together a new Local Plan. More details, including a summary of feedback from April's public open day in Callander, are available at their Planning Department website here. If you have any questions regarding the summary or wish to contribute your views, please telephone the National Park Local Plan policy team at the Balloch office on 01389 722600 or .

Photos: G Kuzmanovski and M Holek.

Make yourself heard

Planning consent is only granted if the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority feels that an application has local approval. If you have good reason to oppose a particular planning application then you must make your views known to them in writing. If you do not do this then you should be aware that objectors have no legal right to appeal once consent has been granted. The only way to overturn an existing planning decision is via the Scottish Executive.

The National Park Authority publishes a weekly list of all new planning applications, decisions and tree preservation orders online. To access this information, please click here. Major or contentious planning applications are presented at public meetings of the National Park Authority. Dates and venues for the meetings are published online here.

External links