URGENT REPAIRS WILL be carried out on Kinloss Abbey to ensure as far as is possible no further damage to the historic Abbot’s House.
Councillors agreed on Tuesday that they would provide the funding required to allow urgent repairs to be carried out on the site – to the relief of local campaigners.
Masonry works are required to improve the structural safety of the Abbot’s House tower on the ruins that are within the graveyard at Kinloss – the site is owned and maintained by Moray Council.
The Kinloss Abbey Trust will oversee the work required that it is hoped will stabilise the tower, which it was feared would collapse completely unless remedial work was carried out. The site has been fenced off for some time to prevent public access for safety reasons.
Members of the policy and resources committee heard that the Trust aim to acquire the Abbey through a community asset transfer – and that they had raised sufficient funding to carry out a feasibility study on options for a long-term future for the building as a tourist attraction.
Councillor Anne Skene said that the decision to fund the repairs “will give the Trust confidence that it has the council’s support”, adding: “This is one of the oldest ecclesiastical buildings in Moray and its preservation is of national significance.”