THE ambitious project to create a landmark structure on the border at Gretna that would rival the Angel of the North is “close to being over the line”.
The Star of Caledonia proposals, which would see the creation of a £12million towering sculpture, now requires its final £2 million.
And The Star of Caledonia Trust say getting that sum will finally kickstart construction work and benefit tourism in both the south of Scotland and Cumbria.
The sculpture idea was first put forward by Alasdair Houston, of Gretna Green, following the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001.
However, a further push to make the structure has been launched post-covid by trustees, who insist that considerable progress has been made.
Chairwoman Susan Houston said that a huge amount of work had gone into gathering funding over the last few years, and that there are backers ready to invest.
She added: “But we are still short of money and until we can get backers and close the gap on the funding that’s required, we can’t get started – but the project is spade-ready.”
Susan explained that the sculpture was originally set to be a piece of public art for people to enjoy in the aftermath of foot and mouth, but plans had to be shelved due to a lack of investment.
However, the vision and design were reignited after the pandemic and this time last year, modifications were
proposed to the original plans for the landmark.
The steel structure with LED lights is to be 20 percent smaller than planned but remain within the dimensions of the original application approved ten years ago.
The structure has also been refined with a painted surface finish of light grey/white for the main curves with stainless steel rods.
A change in disability access laws has forced the rethink which now also includes a bound gravel path access to the top of the mound.
Gretna Landmark Trust and Community Windpower Ltd said the site boundary in a field to the east of the southbound slipway junction for the M74 and A75 has not changed, nor the shape of the landform and structure.
The Star of Caledonia has been hailed as an important flagship project for the region and has the potential to be a powerful catalyst for regeneration in Gretna-Lockerbie-Annan and as a national gateway to Scotland.
It is estimated that it will drive additional tourism worth £4 million per year to the region and bring 100,000 visits to the site itself annually.
