A raft of art projects have been carried out to complement new infrastructure in Dunblane.
Children from Dunblane Primary, Newton Primary, St Mary’s Episcopal Primary, Dunblane High and Queen Victoria School were all involved in creating artwork for the High Street, under the theme of ‘Dunblane’s Nature.’
Artists Elspeth Bennie and Jane Marriot also worked with pupils to create two signposts and 12 mosaic panels, which can be found on the Allan Water Bridge.
The initiative has seen Stirling Council, Sustrans Scotland and the Dunblane community working together.
The art project follows on from a series of infrastructure projects, which included the upgrade of the rail bridge at Dunblane Station by Network Rail.
In addition, regional transport partnership Tactran provided £15,000 and Sustrans Scotland donated £750,000 to help improve access around the Dunblane rail station area.
Stirling Council invested £500,000 on strengthening works to the Allan Water Bridge.
The works are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
Councillor Danny Gibson, Stirling Council’s environment convener, said: “This ambitious project has been under way for almost a year and we can now see what a big difference the works have made.
“The Allan Water Bridge now incorporates mosaics, while the station entrance has been opened up to provide seating, allowing people to sit and take in their surroundings and admire the new sign post.
“By making the area more accessible it is hoped that the new layout will encourage both residents and visitors to spend time in the town centre.”
Anna Ronayne of Sustrans Scotland said the “ambitious” street design project would continue.
She added: “Once completed, this project will see Stirling Road transformed into a vibrant series of spaces for people to linger in, enjoy and travel through on foot or by bike, and will improve access to local businesses.
“It will also revitalise and recalibrate the streetscape in this part of the town by creating high quality spaces on the historic bridge over the Allan Water and alongside its visually attractive Georgian and Victorian buildings.”
“The addition of the mosaic panels to the bridge and new signposts are a fantastic complement to the regeneration works on Stirling Road.
“We would really like to give credit to the young people of Dunblane and the artists Elspeth and Jane for following through on the aspirations to make this part of the town a vibrant and inspirational place to spend time in or pass through.
“The mosaic panels and signposts we are sure will delight locals and visitors for generations to come.”
More information on the artwork and the improvements to the town centre will be available at Dunblane’s Christmas Extravaganza, which will take place on Thursday between 5pm and 9pm.
