Planned upgrades at Paisley’s Hawkhead Cemetery have been welcomed – but a pressure group has warned tidying the area’s paths is an “absolute must”.
Renfrewshire Council has confirmed various works are set to be carried out at the Hawkhead Road facility, ranging from investment in the roads and drainage infrastructure, to painting railings and other general upkeep.
An update was provided at the recent environment board – at which Karen Anderson, sustainability, place and assets manager, set out timings for some of the improvements.
She said: “In terms of Hawkhead, there’s quite a lot happening over the next few months. The rest of the spend on the roads and drainage infrastructure is out to tender at present. It’s most likely to get approved and we’re hoping to start that about the beginning of May.
“So, we’ll start to see some work going ahead there to improve the main drainage infrastructure and the roads. We’re getting the railings painted and that will get done when the weather’s appropriate. We’ve already commissioned that work.
“Lyall Rennie, operations manager in environment and infrastructure, and his team have been in doing the normal winter clear up and we have plans over the next few weeks to do a wee bit more work in there, getting it tidied up a bit better and ready for spring again.
“We are looking at the baby garden as well, so we’ve made the orders for the benches and we’re looking to put something more appropriate in there for parents and relatives of children that have passed away.
“That’s been a big thing for us, just to improve that environment.”
Campaigner Des Barr founded the Friends of Hawkhead Cemetery action group last year, which has lobbied councillors and officers to carry out repairs and better maintain the commemorative site.
Reacting to the latest development, he said: “We welcome the investment the council is currently proposing and the work that’s been tendered. We hope that progresses in May as Karen indicated.
“The situation with the railings is something that has been going on for the last, probably, four years. They had started it, but they had to stop because of the pandemic.
“The work they’re proposing for improving the baby garden is absolutely fantastic and shows real empathy with parents who have been bereaved, so we’re delighted that work is going to go ahead.
“That’s the positive side to it, but they must find a way of clearing the paths of the leaves and moss. That’s an absolute must.
“Friends of Hawkhead Cemetery are still concerned about the maintenance and day-to-day weeding of areas within the cemetery.”
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