Further funding has been secured to renovate the Sir Walter Scott Courthouse in Selkirk.

An additional £131,000 has been provided from both the Selkirk Common Good Fund and the council, which will help fund further repair works as part of the £1 million Selkirk Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS).

So far, works by contractor SBContracts have included repairs to the weather vane, refurbishing the clock faces and repairing as much high level defective stonework as possible within the Selkirk CARS budget. Thanks to additional funding, the project is now expected to run until August.

Overall, the £450,000 scheme has provided huge improvements to the town centre. There have also been additional community benefits, with contractor SBContracts donating a number of old pavement slabs to the Incorporation of Hammermen to use on a community project.

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Cllrs Gordon Edgar, Caroline Penman and Elaine Thornton-Nicol said: "We are delighted to provide additional funding through the Common Good Fund to help ensure the longevity of the iconic Sir Walter Scott Courthouse.

"We realise this extension of the project has an impact on the Common Riding for this year, but we hope Souters will understand the importance of carrying out further repairs to the prominent town centre building.

"Alongside the streetscape works which are all but complete, Selkirk town centre will be transformed into an attractive destination for visitors and locals able to host events and markets.

"It is also pleasing to hear that the old pavement slabs from the town centre will be recycled for use by the Incorporation of Hammermen.

"There are information boards available on the Sir Walter Scott Courthouse project in the Courthouse Coffee Shop, which remains open alongside all other town centre shops during the works."

(LM)