£50k refurbishment of Dumfries' Dock Park bandstand starts

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A £50,000 refurbishment of the neglected 19th Century bandstand in Dumfries’ flagship Dock Park has finally begun after a lengthy tender process by the council.In June, concerns over its condition were raised by South of Scotland MSP Colin Smyth who also criticised Dumfries and Galloway Council for leaving the park “falling apart” – 10 years on from a £2 million revamp and official reopening by the Earl and Countess of Wessex, who are now Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.Just weeks before the school summer holidays, he hit out at how the bandstand has been left to deteriorate along with the children’s playpark which still has the ship and disabled roundabout fenced off after not being repaired; a broken seesaw being removed rather than replaced; gates to the park closed off with barriers around them and crumbling rubber flooring.Another bone of contention has been the maze – which dates back to the 1970s – and became overgrown with weeds and piles of the gravel used to fill the pot hole-covered car park rather than permanent repairs.At the time, he said: “It really breaks my heart to see the way it has been left to fall apart.”The local authority responded by confirming it would be refurbished this financial year with funding from the Public Realm Capital Programme 2024/25.

The council also said that the listed structure would need “extensive works”.Now, Mr Smyth said: “I’m pleased to see that work has been carried out to repair most of the equipment in the park and has started on the bandstand, but it should never have been allowed to fall into such an appalling state of disrepair.“Much of the park equipment was out of action during the school holidays and the summer tourism season, and the bandstand has been fenced off