Fears continued closure of historic Stewartry properties may put off visitors

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A host of popular historic sites across the region remain closed due to safety concerns.And the organisation that looks after the iconic buildings, Historic Environment Scotland (HES), is “unable to give a date” when they will reopen.That has prompted fears tourists may be put off coming to Dumfries and Galloway.Concerns over the condition of masonry at a number of locations – Threave Castle near Castle Douglas and Cardoness Castle near Gatehouse – prompted HES to close many properties to the public earlier this year.The grounds of New Abbey’s Sweetheart Abbey but the buildings themselves remain shut.Although several of the sites were only closed this year, some – such as Sweetheart Abbey and Kirkcudbright’s MacLellan’s Castle – have been shut since 2019.The ongoing closures prompted South Scotland MSP Emma Harper to raise the issue with HES officials.And she was left disappointed that they could not commit to any dates for reopening buildings.Ms Harper said: “People the world over come to see our history and I agree that it is incredibly frustrating that many of these historical sites are either partially or fully closed to the public.“This is a major deterrent to people visiting our bonnie region and I have had residents and visitors alike contact my office to express their disappointment.“While I thank Historic Environment Scotland for their response to me, I am disappointed that they are unable to provide a date by which the sites, currently or partially closed across our region, will be re-opened by.“I also understand the complexity of some of the works, like high level stonemasonry, which is required but there does seem to be a lack of urgency to get these sites re-opened.“I am therefore, today, calling on Historic