The sale of 27 acres of Stirling land, which includes the historic Howietoun Fishery, has netted Stirling University £365,000, it has been revealed.

The university had put the Sauchiemill Fish Farm site in the Carron Valley, which included a number of grade A and B listed buildings, up for sale in 2018 at offers over £225,000.

Prior to putting it on the market the university had come under fire from Carron Valley residents who had accused it of allowing the site to go to “rack and ruin”. The Howietoun Fishery in particular was described as “dilapidated”.

The fishery – established by ‘the father of scientific aquaculture’ Sir James Maitland in the late 19th century – had been bought by Stirling University’s Institute of Aquaculture in 1979, along with the nearby Milnholm Hatchery and the 18th century former grain mill Sauchiemill. The facilities had been used to train students as well as maintaining a commercial enterprise.

Two years ago, as criticism mounted over its tenure, the university had insisted it recognised Howietoun’s importance and was “considering all options” for the facility.

As the October 2018 deadline for offers approached, Carron Valley residents aiming to preserve the historic fishery had urged Stirling University to choose a purchaser sympathetic to the site’s heritage.

Howietoun Community Group, a sub group of Carron Valley Community Council, had said its suggestions – which included using B-listed Sauchiemill, refurbished in the 1980s, as a community hub – had been “rebuffed” and urged Stirling University to seek “a purchaser sympathetic to the site’s future rather than solely in terms of financial gain.”

Features included in the 27-acre property sale included the grade-A listed Howietoun Fishery (with fishponds and railings), cottages (unlisted), and four A-listed outbuildings (hatching house, summer house, mincing house and despatch house) as well as Sauchiemill.

Estate agents Bell Ingram had described the cottages in marketing material as ‘being in an extremely poor condition’ and requiring ‘extensive renovation.’

Sir James Maitland’s summerhouse within Howietoun, built in 1886, remains on Historic Environment Scotland’s Buildings At Risk Register.

Sir James would climb on to the roof of the building and watch the farm from its elevated position – as well as observing fish underwater from a glass cylinder from the centre of the summerhouse.

Nicolas Sinclair of Howietoun Community Group said this week: “The community still believes Stirling University acted in haste, solely wanting to get shot of the site and its cumbersome maintenance.”

Stirling University told the Observer this week that it was not in a position to reveal who had bought the Sauchiemill Fish Farm site. However, a spokesperson pointed out: “Sauchiemill Fish Farm was sold for £365,000 in February 2019.”

The grade-A listed Milnholm Hatchery building, which was purpose-built for Sir James Maitland in 1881, and lies about a mile south of Howietoun, was not part of the Sauchiemill Fish Farm sale.

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