LOCHMABEN’S King Robert the Bruce figure is to get a long overdue spruce up after councillors yesterday agreed to fund his cleaning.
Listed building consent was granted by the local authority’s planning committee for the work on the 1879 monument, which sits in front of the town hall.
And conditions were written in to ensure he stays looking good and does not fall into such a state again.
Annandale North Councillor Stephen Thompson led the charge for the inclusion of a directive for regular maintenance of the listed sandstone statue and plinth.
He said: “I am pleased to see this at committee. I would hope that a regular maintenance regime can be in place so we do not have to keep coming back to clean this signifiant monument.
“It would seem wasteful if we get this done and then had to come back because we had not been looking after it for a while.”
His fellow councillors agreed and a request for regular maintenance was duly written into the permission.
Nith Cllr David Slater also welcomed the clean up and said: “This is good for the community. A statue like that should be clean.”
Although a start date has not been given for the scheme, planning officials explained the cleaning will be carried out using wooden spatulas, steam, biological cleaners and stiff brushes and it will follow official guidance.
A full photographic record will also be made of the statue and plinth ahead of the works.
