Plans to develop a memorial site to the Lockerbie air disaster and its victims are expected to progress next week.
The Tundergarth Kirks Trust has shared its proposals for the Memorial Room site within its cemetery, which is located off the B7068, close to where the nose cone of Pan Am Flight 103 landed in a field.
The charity is finalising a community asset transfer with the council to acquire the building for £1, along with the neighbouring Auld Kirk ruin.
The plans would see the Memorial Room developed and connected to the church, providing “an all-around experience for those wishing to learn about Pan Am 103, Lockerbie and all those affected by the tragedy of December 21, 1988”.
The ruin is to be renovated to create a building on the south side with a solar roof while using the interior as a columbarium for storing funeral urns.
Annandale and Eskdale councillors have already approved the transfer, but it still needs to be ratified by the council’s finance committee next Tuesday.
In a submission to the council the trust said: “By connecting the Memorial Room and the kirk visitors will be able to experience the story of Pan Am 103 and then spend a tranquil period of contemplation in the kirk.
“Tundergarth Kirks wishes to offer an all-year-round facility to both the local community and to those who travel and visit the Memorial Room. The group is keen there remains an accessible, sustainable, and lasting legacy for those who seek reflection on the tragedy that unfolded in 1988.”
The room is a small stone building which was the former cemetery watch room. It is open 24/7 and, since 1990, it’s estimated that 50,000 people have visited to pay their respects.
The trust plans to seek further funding for the project from Historic Environmental Scotland, and windfarm developers.
