Latest news with #DumfriesAndGalloway
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Loch Ryan sandwich terns to get help from Norfolk wind farms
Plans have been drawn up to revive a seabird colony in southern Scotland to mitigate the impact of two wind farms hundreds of miles away. It would create a haven for sandwich terns on Loch Ryan at a spot where they have not nested for more than a project is linked to the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon offshore wind farm extensions which could affect bird numbers off the Norfolk and Galloway Council is being recommended to approve the plans with a number of conditions. A search of shorelines came up with the Dumfries and Galloway site as the best location to seek the return of sandwich terns.A special coastal habitat would be created including an inland pool with islands to be surrounded by a "predator-proof" viewing hides would also be set up to allow walkers to view the area without disturbing Equinor want the scheme in southern Scotland to compensate for the predicted impact on breeding sandwich terns of extensions to its two Norfolk schemes. The site was selected after a detailed search for suitable places to create or restore a habitat for the area was identified as having been a historic breeding site up until about 15 years appears the site was vacated by the colony primarily as a result of coastal have raised concerns about the low likelihood of the project being a success and problems linked to additional visitors to the have also voiced fears that other species in the area could be adversely a report by council planners has recommended the scheme should be given the all said the project had "acceptable environmental credentials" and could go ahead with a number of conditions attached.
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Dumfries tennis centre on course to open this year
A new indoor tennis centre in Dumfries is on course to open later this Transforming Scottish Indoor Tennis (TSIT) project at the King George V sports complex has reached the halfway stage in its began in February on the three-court centre which will open towards the end of the is part of nationwide efforts to boost participation and will provide year-round access to tennis for players across Dumfries and Galloway. The £2.3m project is described as an important landmark in the ongoing efforts to improve access to the sport across will be the third indoor tennis centre built recently following sites in Edinburgh and Johnstone, who chairs Dumfries and Galloway Council's community wellbeing committee, said: "I am delighted to see the progress of the new tennis centre and look forward to it being completed."It will be a major community asset for us and will provide much-needed indoor facilities for tennis players in the region and beyond." 'A sport for everyone' Sportscotland chief executive Forbes Dunlop said it was exciting to see the progress which had been made."When it's opened the centre will be hugely significant for local tennis and the communities in Dumfries and Galloway," he Lawn Tennis Association said the project embodied its vision of ensuring tennis was "truly a sport for everyone".Blane Dodds, chief executive of Tennis Scotland, said: "This is a significant moment as we aim to continue making tennis accessible to everyone right across Scotland by providing year-round indoor facilities."The new indoor centre in Dumfries and Galloway is taking shape and we're all looking forward to seeing players get on the courts soon."
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Majority on Dumfries and Galloway Council back special meeting
A majority of councillors in Dumfries and Galloway have backed a move for a no confidence motion in the Conservative-led administration.A total of 22 members of the 43-strong local authority signed the call, which has triggered a special meeting for 16 move came after a number of Conservatives left their political group to form a new Labour and Democratic Alliance councillors have backed the move which could see current leader Gail Macgregor and depute leader Malcolm Johnstone replaced. The Conservatives formed an administration in 2023 after the collapse of a previous had 16 members but that fell to just nine when seven councillors quit the group - four to form a group called Novantae and three to create the Dumfries and Galloway Independent a result a request was lodged to convene a special meeting of the local authority to consider a no confidence vote in the standing orders, the move must be backed by at least a quarter of councillors. However, papers published on the council website show that support has significantly exceeded that 11 SNP members, eight Labour councillors and three from the Democratic Alliance signed the they were to agree to work together in future they could form an outright majority on the full council will meet to decide the way ahead on Monday.
BBC News
03-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Lockerbie-Syracuse scholarship scheme set to restart
A scholarship scheme - set up in the wake of the Lockerbie bombing - which sends Scottish school pupils to a US university is set to be revived. Two Lockerbie Academy students were selected to study at Syracuse University in New York state every year between 1989 and 2024 but no intake will happen in 2025/ Syracuse students were among 270 victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in December 1988. The university has announced that the scholarship is now due to restart in autumn 2026 but it is unclear who will fund the programme. Previously, the Lockerbie students selected to spend a year at the US university were chosen by the Lockerbie Syracuse Trust (LST). The scheme was funded by both the university and the trust - with a contribution also understood to come from Dumfries and Galloway will been no intake for 2025/26 but Syracuse University has now relaunched the scheme, describing it as a "reimagined partnership". Students will be chosen by a panel of representatives from the university and the academy using "elevated selection criteria based on rigorous academic standards". The university said it would select students who demonstrate "academic excellence and a deep understanding" of the Pan Am Flight 103 tragedy. A press statement makes no mention of the LST and does not state how the scheme will be funded. Carolyne Wilson, who chairs the LST, said the funding situation had not been confirmed with them."Previously, Syracuse University have funded part of it, and the trust has picked up the other part which equates to about £40,000 a year," she said. She said the LST would be happy for that arrangement to continue but it had not been approached to do so."I think there would definitely need to be discussions between all parties because obviously we would love to strengthen and maintain our partnership with both Lockerbie Academy and Syracuse University to provide the best opportunities possible for the students of Lockerbie and the surrounding area," she added. Anna Newbould, one of the Lockerbie Academy scholars for 2024/25, said it was important to keep the link."I think everyone would agree that it's incredibly important for this scholarship to continue, not just as an experience for the upcoming students but especially for the families of the victims who were sadly lost," she said."Without the scholarship, the connection with Lockerbie, I believe, would only fade over time and ultimately it could be forgotten which is not something anyone wants."Now more than ever, as the disaster is drifting further from the current generation, 36 years on, it's important to keep educating future generations and to keep the victims' memories alive." 'Reforge our bond' Brian Asher, head teacher at Lockerbie Academy, welcomed the move to re-establish the scholarship. He said: "Syracuse University has, since the terrible events of 21 December 1988, held a special place in the heart of Lockerbie."We reforge our bond in honour of all those who were lost that night. "I am excited to work with our Syracuse University colleagues on behalf of the academy as we build on our shared past, towards a shared future."Syracuse University said the scheme would run until at least 2028.
BBC News
03-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
McDonald's takes second bite at Dumfries planning approval
Burger giant McDonald's has submitted fresh plans for a second drive-through restaurant in Dumfries after its original application was recommended for company said it had revised its £4m proposals off the town's Annan road which were withdrawn in December last said the new application should address the concerns which had been raised by Dumfries and Galloway Council planning previously recommended refusal of the bid due to its visual impact and the failure to demonstrate that a more "appropriate site" could not be found. Andrew Crewther, senior acquisitions surveyor with McDonald's, said the revised plans directly addressed those concerns."We explored alternative sites at the Peel Centre, but one is already earmarked for Costa, and the other has permission for a much smaller unit that doesn't meet our operational needs," he said."The application also responds to feedback from council officers by repositioning the building and adding new tree planting to help soften the development's appearance and create a buffer from the A75."Alongside delivering significant inward investment and creating 120 new local jobs, the new restaurant would also support more sustainable travel by improving local access to a McDonald's restaurant."The revised planning application will be considered by the council's planning committee in due course.
