Measures planned to stop people standing on Edinburgh war memorial and using it for picnics

Current temporary barriers ‘completely inappropriate’
The war memorial is the scene for Scotland's national service of remembrance every yearThe war memorial is the scene for Scotland's national service of remembrance every year
The war memorial is the scene for Scotland's national service of remembrance every year

NEW measures are being planned to protect Edinburgh’s war memorial from people standing on it, using it to shelter from the rain or even having picnics on it.

The council is to spend £3,000 to design appropriate measures, which could include new lighting and a barrier around the memorial which is outside the City Chambers, under a canopied portico fronting onto the High Street.

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Scotland’s national service of remembrance takes place there every year.

But a report to the council’s culture and communities committee says: “It is frequently used as a vantage point to view street performers and street traders frequently encroach on the site. It is also been used as a shelter from inclement weather and it has even been used for laying out picnics and lunches.”

Committee convener and former Lord Provost Donald Wilson said: “It’s Edinburgh’s cenotaph and it’s very important it’s treated with respect.

People were getting too close to it and we put temporary barriers around it but they don’t look good so we couldn’t leave them there. We’re going to have a sensitive solution that blends in but will keep people physically off it.

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“We need something that doesn’t take away from the memorial itself but leaves people fully aware you’re not supposed to be in that area. It needs to be aesthetically pleasing but effective.”

The report says despite the best efforts of the City Chambers security staff, policing the memorial has proved difficult.

The committee will be asked to commission a design solution to protect the memorial.

The report says: “A combination of lighting, a new barrier system, increased policing, improved signage and a greater delineated space around the memorial itself should be considered.”

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And it says the £3,000 design costs can be contained within the budget.

Tory councillor Jim Campbell said the current temporary barriers were “completely inappropriate”.

He said: “In an ideal world we would prefer not to have a barrier because people should be able to look at the memorial and reflect. If we need something to remind citizens it is a war memorial and not a piece of street furniture, we want something more dignified than temporary galvanised railings. There are chains but they appear not to be conveying the solemnity required.”

The council will consult conservation bodies on the measures to take.

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