South Scotland SNP MSP Emma Harper has queried the pace at which Historic Environment Scotland is acting to reopen many sites, citing a backlog of repairs as the reason.
The organisation told the politician that, across Scotland, 70 of their properties are currently either partially or fully closed to the public due to the need for works and that these closures have been in place for, at least eight months, with no expected date currently available for when the sites are likely to reopen.
In Dumfries and Galloway, the list includes Whithorn Priory, Dundrennan Abbey, Glenluce Abbey, Loch Doon Castle, Morton Castle, Orchardton Tower, St Ninian’s Chapel, Threave Castle, Lochmaben Castle, MacLellan’s Castle in Kirkcudbright and Sweetheart Abbey.
But Ms Harper has expressed her own and constituents’ frustrations at the lack of a reopening date and has called for urgent action to carry out the required site surveys and works.
She said: “Dumfries and Galloway is steeped in history stretching back over 800 years. This region is known as the place where Robert the Bruce murdered the Red Comyn in 1306, is the place where Robert Burns spent many a year and penned many a poem, song and letter and was the childhood home of Peter Pan Author, J.M. Barrie, not to mention the region’s numerous castles, towers and sites of special importance and significance, as well as our Viking heritage such as the Galloway Hoard and various Viking and Roman age sites.
“People the world over come to see our history and I agree that it is incredibly frustrating that many of these historical sites are either partially or fully closed to the public. This is a major deterrent to people visiting our bonnie region, and I have had residents and visitors alike contact my office to express their disappointment.
“While I thank Historic Environment Scotland for their response to me, I am disappointed that they are unable to provide a date by which the sites, currently or partially closed across our region, will be reopened by. I also understand the complexity of some of the works, like high level stonemasonry, which is required, but there does seem to be a lack of urgency to get these sites reopened.”
And she yesterday called on Historic Environment Scotland to set out detail of exactly which works are required at each of these sites, and to come up with a projected timescale for the completion of the works, with a view to reopening these sites to the public as soon and as safely as possible.
