Clackmannanshire Council has received initial development funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund with which to develop a full bid. The purpose of the meeting was to provide a general view of the proposal and to form a Steering Group. This Group would then advise and guide the putting together of the full bid for submission by 1 April 2008.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has four priorities that the bid must cover in a balanced way:
• conservation or restoration of built and natural features
• conservation and celebration of local cultural associations and activities
• getting people involved in access and heritage
• improving understanding of local crafts and skills, with training opportunities.

The aim of the Partnership is to identify a set of inter-related projects which will combine to provide a range of benefits to the area – for local communities, for visitors, and for the land and landscape itself. The main focus is expected to be on heritage conservation and rural regeneration, with a special emphasis on the way people and landscape have acted and interacted over the years.

The area covered lies mainly in Clackmannanshire but, commendably, takes in parts of Stirling – east of the Logie-Sherrifmuir road and south of Glen Tye. In Clackmannanshire it takes in all of the Ochils – including, ironically, the site of the Burnfoot windfarm recently approved by Clackmannanshire Council – the Hillfoots towns and Devonvale to the line of the B9140.

At the meeting an extensive range of nominations were duly made. I didn’t keep count but I think the Steering Group is going to be around 20 people, representing a wide range of interests. I am there representing FotO and, in particular, our interest in the landscape of the hills.

In keeping with local usage, one of my first tasks will be to try to get it renamed as the Ochils and Hillfoots Landscape Partnership. I hope it will be possible to gain members’ views on the type of projects that should be in the bid at our AGM.