EXCLUSIVE: St Johnstone legend, beavers and strange case of missing Perth and Kinross Council records

Geoff Brown's building company says it transferred ownership of a strip of 'no man's land' in Bridge of Earn to Perth and Kinross Council, but the council has no record of the move.

Geoff Brown in stand at football match — Geoff Brown's building company says it transferred the land in Bridge of Earn to Perth and Kinross Council. Image: SNS

Perthshire locals are battling to resolve a baffling dispute over a strip of “no-man’s land” in their village.

The Bridge of Earn residents have spend three years trying to find out who owns the burnside path behind their homes.

Official records suggest GS Brown Construction, founded by former St Johnstone owner Geoff Brown, is the landowner.

But the firm insists it transferred the land to the former district council – along with money to pay for its ongoing upkeep – when it completed its nearby Balmanno Park development in 1989.

Overgrown weeds beside stretch of water in Bridge of Earn — One side of the Deich Burn in Bridge of Earn is badly overgrown. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

Perth and Kinross Council has maintained the path since then – although locals say it is now so overgrown that many people avoid it.

But the council says it can’t find any records of the transaction.

And now neighbours say they need answers urgently.

The Deich Burn is one of a number of sites around Bridge of Earn where beavers have taken up residence.

It was already a flood risk and the animals’ activities have exacerbated the issue.

Beaver beside river — The arrival of beavers on the Deich Burn has been a headache for some Bridge of Earn residents. Image: Supplied

There are steps communities can take to protect themselves from beaver activity.

But it’s landowners who are responsible for mitigation measures.

Residents on the Heughfield Road side of the burn are doing their bit.

But with no one claiming ownership of the land on the other side, they say they’re terrified they’ll be flooded.

Council ‘considering ownership’ of Deich Burn land in Bridge of Earn

Perth and Kinross Council has confirmed to The Courier it has no record of what went wrong with its formal adoption of the land in the 1980s.

And it says it is now “considering the question of ownership”.

One Heughfield Road resident told The Courier it’s time to break the deadlock.

Burn in Bridge of Earn with neat garden on one side and overgrown trees and weeds on the other — The Heughfield Road side of the burn is pristine, the other side less so. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

“After almost three years, we are still being passed between organisations trying to establish who is actually responsible for dealing with these issues,” the spokesperson said.

“If there is still no clear agreement about where responsibility lies, how can residents have confidence that these issues will be properly addressed?”

Bridge of Earn housebuilder insists it paid council money in Deich Burn deal

The residents’ quest for answers started in 2023.

It has involved lengthy discussions with GS Brown Construction Ltd and Perth and Kinross Council, as well as NatureScot and Registers of Scotland.

Neighbours also used Freedom of Information law to request correspondence between the organisations.

Sign for GS Brown's Oudenarde Village in Bridge of Earn — Geoff Brown’s building company is working on a major development at Oudenarde Village in Bridge of Earn. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

One council email confirms: “We do not hold a record of any money being paid.”

Another describes the Bridge of Earn site as “just one of a number of failed adoptions from around that time”.

GS Brown Construction is currently building up to 1,600 homes at the nearby Oudenarde Village development in Bridge of Earn.

The firm insists the Deich Burn land is the council’s responsibility.

A spokesperson told The Courier: “The required commuted sum would have been paid to the council at the time as part of the arrangements for the ongoing maintenance of the public open space.”

Park in Bridge of Earn with children's play equipment — Perth and Kinross Council has maintained Balmanno Park at one end of the burn. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

The spokesperson added: “Given the length of time that has passed since the development was completed, we are not presently in a position to comment definitively on the historic conveyancing records.

“However, the council’s longstanding maintenance of the area and its inclusion on the open space register are consistent with our understanding that it formed part of the public open-space arrangements for the development.”

‘No council record of what led to this situation’

Perth and Kinross Council told The Courier it has maintained the strip of land on the south bank of the Deich Burn “for many years in agreement with GS Brown”.

However, a spokesperson told us: “Based on the information we have, while a formal adoption of this area was planned by Perth and Kinross District Council circa 1989, this did not progress as intended.

“And with the passage of time we unfortunately have no record of what led to this situation.

“We are considering the question of ownership of the strip of land.”

Perth and Kinross Council logo on wall of council HQ in Perth

Perth and Kinross Council says it is looking into who owns the land. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

The council says its ongoing maintenance in the area includes removing fallen trees.

It says it recognises the Heughfield Road residents’ concerns around flood mitigation and beavers.

And it insists it carries out routine inspections under its responsibilities in the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009.

“The last such inspection of the Deich Burn was carried out on May 6 2026,” the spokesperson added.

“This confirmed recent beaver activity, erosion and sediment deposition.

“But this did not constitute a significant flood risk and no clearance and repair works were required as a result.”