Clackmannanshire Council has successfully bid for the VisitScotland Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) for the development of a new Dumyat Visitor Hub.

The funding will allow the Council to make infrastructure improvements at the Dumyat Centre in Menstrie to improve recreational access to Dumyat hill and Menstrie Glen. The Council's application was one of a number of successful bids received from local authorities or national park authorities across Scotland for an award.

The Council successfully demonstrated to VisitScotland the opportunity to relieve visitor pressures on Dumyat hill around Sheriffmuir Road by promoting an alternative route from Menstrie which would:

• Offer more easily accessible off road parking, including disabled parking and vehicle charging

• Be capable of providing access to a wider range of visitor facilities available in Menstrie

• Increase travel choices including public transport and active travel

• Deliver economic development benefits to the area

• Provide infrastructure which would complement other community plans and initiatives in Menstrie for the benefit of visitors and residents.

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The grant award and match funding from the Council, the Energy Savings Trust and Transport Scotland will result in approximately £200,000 being spent on delivering the following improvements:

• Dumyat Centre car park improvements

• Tourist signage and interpretation to guide visitors to routes and local facilities

• Enhanced electric vehicle charging and the provision of ebikes and docking station designed to connect into the Forth Bike network

• footpath improvements within Menstrie and on routes to Dumyat Hill and Menstrie Glen.

The Council's bid was prepared with assistance from Menstrie Community Council and Menstrie Community Action Group as well as Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface and Discover Clackmannanshire.

The Council's spokesperson for Environment, Cllr Craig Holden, said: "I welcome this successful bid to the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund and the planned improvements to Menstrie which will create an alternative and improved access route to Dumyat, one of the most popular hills in the Ochils."

Neil Christison, VisitScotland Regional Director, said: "It is great to see Clackmannanshire benefiting from the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund with improved access for Dumyat hill.

"Over the last three years, the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund has played an important role in improving the visitor experience, be it car parking, toilets or footpaths, as we want people to have a must visit-must return experience, so I am delighted to see this project receiving funding.

"We all need to play our part in being responsible visitors and improvement works like these are crucial to ensuring our visitor destinations remain sustainable for years to come.

"Tourism is a force for good and if managed responsibly, sustains communities in every corner of Scotland, creates jobs, tackles depopulation and improves the wellbeing of everyone who experiences it."

The aim is for the project to be used as a model to develop further sustainable tourism improvements promoting access to the hills and glens throughout Clackmannanshire.