Stone circle and the supermarket suspense

Both Dundee and Asda have replied to my letter of concern. Mike Galloway said the Council still have not received any application for the Myrekirk road site, but have assured me they will carry out full liaison with Historic Scotland in accordance with PAN 42 and NPPG5, if they receive proposals that will affect the stone circle. Paul Lowe of Asda confirmed that they are in discussions with Dundee City Council with regard to developing the site but no application has been registered. He assures me he will keep me posted as and when an application is submitted.

Balgarthno stone circle, a little-known site a few miles to the west of Dundee is under threat of having an Asda superstore built on top of it. This is rather ironic, given that Asda illustrate their policy of 'Permanently Low Prices Forever' by carving the slogan on fake concrete standing stones in their superstore entrances. Mrs Iris Wylie, who lives opposite the stones, claims that Asda intend to make a landscape feature out of the stone circle!

Two fields are proposed for development, also building on a frequently used boys' club football pitch. According to Mrs Wylie, the 'change of use' of the land has been allowed by Dundee City Council following the death of the farmer, Clayhill Henderson. She alleges that the site is worth £7 million pounds to a developer. Three houses will have to be purchased and knocked down. Mrs Wylie says the owners will no longer speak to her about the proposals.

'The mist rolling in over the stone circle is a wonderful sight' says Mrs Wylie, 'but the circle has not been well cared for by the council. Every year we have to ring up and ask them to come and cut the grass there.'

Balgarthno Stone Circle, also known as 'Farm of Corn', OS grid reference NO353310 is a scheduled ancient monument, and measures 6.1m in diameter. The scheduled area has recently been extended to 40 meters around the site. Although this area is protected, it doesn't prevent development nearby, threatening to turn the circle into an unusual feature of a modern shopping development.

Dr Aubrey Burl, an archaeologist who has devoted much of his time to the study of stone circles comments 'I was interested and disappointed, to hear of the proposed fate of the Balgarthno stone circle in Angus. It is not one of the world's finest megalithic rings but it does deserve better than to become an appendage to a supermarket.

He has studied the site himself, 'On one of the fallen slabs is a natural hollow which has given the ring the local name of the "De'il's Stanes". When the circle was excavated in the middle of the last century some flints and a jet ring of a late prehistoric period were discovered. The ring is now in the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.

'This link with the Devil and the forces of evil must have been fairly widespread in eastern Scotland as far as standing stones were concerned. Not very far north at NO346392 the Four-Poster of Auchterhouse was known as the Witch's Stone.'

Karin Attwood, from ASLaN, a group dedicated to protecting ancient sacred sites added 'Perhaps the Asda directors might want to reconsider positioning their store against such a potentially antagonistic site!'

Dundee City Council say that no planning application has yet been received. Asda's planning department would not discuss what they described as a 'rumour'. Asda's environmental policy states that 'Forty-four out of forty-nine new stores built since 1990 have been built on previously developed sites' This clearly isn't going to be one of them...

Unfortunately there isn't a lot that can be done until a planning application is up for consideration by the council, at which point people can oppose the application. Concerned people should write to:

Mike Galloway, Director, Planning Department, Dundee City Council, Tayside House, Crichton Street, Dundee DD1 3RB

Paul Lowe, Property Department, Asda Head Office, Asda House, Southbank, Great Wilson Street, Leeds, LS11 5AD Customer relations: