New house close to historic Roman wall site gets green light
dailyrecord.co.ukA new house can now be built in a conservation area close to the Antonine Wall World Heritage Site, Falkirk councillors have agreed.
Members of Falkirk Council' s planning committee visited the site in Grahamsdyke Lane, Bo'ness, which is now vacant and overgrown but was previously occupied by a 1950s bungalow, known as Romwall.
The proposal for a new four-bedroom house was called in by local councillor David Aitchison, concerned it was "in violation of the Grange Conservation Area management plan, on land of historic significance along the line of the Antonine Wall". Read more: Falkirk councillor says children 'should not have to beg for their rights' Speaking on behalf of the applicant, agent Gareth Jones told members that investigations have been done of the site, led by Falkirk Council's former archaeologist, Geoff Bailey.The lane is not far from where the Bridgeness Slab - regarded as one of the finest pieces of Roman sculpture in Britain - was discovered, further down the hill.It had been suspected that the Antonine Wall - which was built in around AD142 - followed the alignment of the lane.
However, following investigations, Mr Bailey had concluded that the probably wall did not follow the lane's alignment, but was probably further to the east.Mr Jones said: "There was quite a thorough excavation done on the site - there were three trenches dug and there was no evidence of anything of Roman origin."Overall, there were seven objections to the proposal and two letters of support.The agent said the design has been changed to reflect concerns of Falkirk Council's urban design officer.Mr Jones said they also intend to keep as many trees as possible, while the mature hedging will be kept and restored.
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