A landmark art project which could generate £4 million for the Dumfries and Galloway economy has been given the promise of a massive funding boost.
Community Windpower has offered to meet a £5.5 million shortfall in the cost of the Star of Caledonia sculpture on the border at Gretna.
But the offer comes with a caveat – it is dependent on three proposed windfarm schemes in the region getting the go-ahead.
Rod Wood, managing director of Community Windpower, said: “The Star of Caledonia will be a fantastic asset to the region, proudly welcoming visitors and will potentially be a part of a wider powerful catalyst for regional regeneration in a post-Covid green recovery.
“The £5.5m of funding will be made available alongside our three major renewable energy projects in the region, Sanquhar II, Scoop Hill and Faw Side Community Windfarms.”
The Star of Caledonia was stymied by a lack of cash but was given fresh impetus by the Borderlands Growth Deal last summer which promised the Gretna Landmark Trust, the group behind the project, £1.5 million, provided the rest was raised before its planning permission runs out.
Trust chairman Alasdair Houston yesterday described Community Windpower’s funding promise as “such a welcome contribution to this exciting project.”
He said: “It is very much appreciated by everyone associated with the Star of Caledonia.
“We need to look to the future with hope and ambition and our Star promotes that important message within a wider regeneration project.
“Having Community Windpower support the project provides perfect synergy to our aims and will act as a signal of growth and recovery across the region. The Star will be highly visible from as far south as Carlisle and will be a 365 day a year statement of Scotland’s innovation, creativity, energy and ambition.”
The 120ft tall sculpture, which was designed by world-renowned landform artists Charles Jencks and Cecil Balmond, would be twice as tall as the famous Angel of the North near Gateshead.
Jencks, who called Dumfriesshire his home and co-founder of the renowned Maggie’s Cancer Care centres, died just over a year ago, aged 80.
The Star design pays tribute to the one of Scotland’s most eminent scientists who hails from the region, James Clark Maxwell.
An impact report suggests it would create a £4 million annual tourism boost for the economy, with 10 million people travelling past the site beside the M74 each year and 100,000 of those actually visiting it.
It suggested that the construction works alone would deliver a one-off net economic impact of £2 million for the Borderlands.
The Star, which has planning permission until March 2022, had an original price tag six years ago of £4.8million and that has now increased to £7million.
The trust was given fresh hope this week that the deadline could be met thanks to the funding offer from the windfarm developer.
Mr Wood, the from the firm, said: “This capital, generated from these three projects, will be just the start of long-term inward investment to the region including electric charging infrastructure for electric vehicles and green hydrogen, providing a significant boost to the ‘green recovery’ in Dumfries and Galloway.”
Council officials stated that the development would result in an “unacceptable level of significant and adverse detrimental landscape and visual impacts”.
