RESTORATION OF A landmark Elgin monument will go ahead at a total cost of £55,000 – but more than half of the cash will not come from local taxpayers.
Councillors this week considered options over much-needed work on the Muckle Cross on the Plainstones, a B-listed structure dating from 1888 – but on a site that has been used as the spot from which major proclamations are made since the Middle Ages.
The Muckle Cross is still last used for that purpose for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
A £20,000 contribution to the costs of full renovation of the monument will be paid by Moray Council and matched with the same sum coming from the Elgin Conservation and Regeneration Scheme (CARS). The remaining £15,000 is to be provided from the Elgin Common Good fund.
Local SNP councillor Graham Leadbitter acknowledged the hard work put in by officials to bring about what he said was a “gold standard” refurbishment plan, saying: “A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes and I am pleased at where we have got with this.
“There is a plan now to review similar structures in other communities.”
Speaking on behalf of CARS, Kirsty Conti said: “We are delighted the matched funding has been approved and look forward to an application coming through for the remaining amount.”
Council officials have been tasked with the job of carrying out a “comprehensive review” of similar monuments throughout Moray to learn if there is a wider issue that needs to be addressed.