Plans have been submitted in a long-running scheme to build a 33-metre high sculpture near Gretna Green which would stand taller than the Angel of the North.
The Star of Caledonia would be a steel sculpture near the Scotland-England border visible from the A74(M), with a visitor centre and a small loch also included in the £10 million plans.
It would be illuminated at night by 108 LED lights powered by renewable energy and is intended to symbolise the “dynamism of the Scottish nation”.
Artist Cecil Balmond created the design a decade ago but the site will not open before spring 2027 at the earliest.
The artistic drawings use the concept of energy as a metaphor, with the curves in the design also intended to represent “Scottish brainpower”.
The trust behind the project says most funds have been donated by CWP Energy, though it says it could potentially receive public funding as well.
Lucy Houston, chairwoman of the Star of Caledonia Trust, said her late husband Alasdair – a farmer and tourism business owner – had the idea of a border landmark in 2001 to help the region recover from the foot-and-mouth outbreak.
She spoke to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme on Friday, saying the Star would stand taller than the Angel of the North in Gateshead.
Ms Houston said: “It’s quite difficult to describe – it’s almost like a DNA double helix.
“It’s in painted grey steel and there will be 54 LED rods that come out of it, making a total of 108 lights.”
The sculpture will sit on a grassy mound in a 38-acre landscaped site, she said, and would be a “destination attraction”.
Ms Houston said the trust is doing “everything possible” to secure the remaining funding from sources such as the Borderlands growth deal.
The foot-and-mouth outbreak had been a “terrible, terrible time” for the area, she said, and Alasdair had wanted to contribute to the community.
The trust hopes to begin construction next spring and welcome its first visitors in 2027.
Planning councillors on Dumfries and Galloway Council will consider the proposals at a later date.
David Mundell, the Scottish Conservative MP for Dumfriesshire, said: “This is an exciting project for the Gretna area and I welcome the revised proposals and the solid basis now to bring the project to fruition.
“Outdoor artworks like the Angel of the North and the Kelpies have been hugely successful and brought economic benefit to their areas and I’m sure that will be the case with the Star of Caledonia.”
