Controversial project gets council approval

The floodgates were opened to controversy last week after the £68.6m Whitesands Project in Dumfries was approved.

- MARC MCLEAN

Councillors clashed in a lengthy debate about whether or not to proceed with the costly scheme, while protestors gathered outside the council HQ in English Street.

Since then, a South of Scotland MSP condemned the decision, claiming the plans were “expensive and ineffective’, and urged the First Minister to step in to prevent “millions of taxpayers’ money being wasted’.

Meanwhile, Mike Sutherland argued that the whole scheme is illegal because the council did not apply for sheriff's permission first to alienate Common Good assets.

At last week's meeting where the decision was taken to proceed with the project, council leader Stephen Thompson referred to a “confidential” document that had been circulated, but insisted he was still prepared to support the scheme.