Facelift for war memorial

Scottish Borders Council has granted planning permission for a clean-up of the stone-built cenotaph in Wilton Lodge Park.

The proposed method to be carried out is a high-temperature steam cleaning of the memorial.

In addition to cleaning the cenotaph, which features a winged sculpture on a pedestal, work will also be carried out on a set of steps leading to the memorial passing between two stone pillars.

In a report approving the work, Stuart Small, council planning officer, says: “The key planning issue under consideration is the impact on the character and appearance of the category C listed war memorial.

“Overall, the level of soiling on the war memorial does indicate that a Doff cleaning system may be required and so long as the attached conditions are complied with, no damage to the character, integrity and setting of the war memorial should occur”.