Cairn anger
A housing developer has been accused of disrespecting those who gave their lives in both world wars.
Residents living near the commemorative cairn on Gilbertfield Road have been left fuming at the mess round the cairn apparently left by Dundas Estates.
A housing developer has been accused of disrespecting those who gave their lives in both world wars.
Residents living near the commemorative cairn on Gilbertfield Road have been left fuming at the mess round the memorial apparently left by Dundas Estates.
Vehicles enter their Gilbertfield View site just yards away, with trucks leaving the road like a mudbath and stones around the cairn site knocked over.
The issue was raised at a meeting of Halfway Community Council last week. Chair of the group, John Edgar, is now worried the land won’t be cleaned up in time for the Remembrance Day ceremony held at the cairn.
He said: “You would hope they would tidy it up and even put a fence around it to stop vehicles encroaching on it.
“There’s been three changes of management on the site since they started there. Every time they assure us they won’t leave a mess and they do The common stones were put in place so this kind of thing didn’t happen.
“This is a war memorial to commemorate the people who walked from Dechmont to Newton station, some of who never returned again. It’s total disrespect. “We fought hard for that cairn.” Councillor Walter Brogan described the state of Gilbertfield Road as “terrible”.
He added: “We need to make sure they are protecting the road. It’s not acceptable, particularly as John was given assurances this would not happen.
“We have the Remembrance service coming up shortly and the road is an absolute mess.”
Councillor Brogan said he hoped to meet with Dundas to discuss the issue soon, especially as Gilbertfield Road will be used by buses taking Hallside pupils to the decant facility at Cairns.
The cairn was unveiled in 2013. It is in honour of the many soldiers who marched down Gilbertfield Road toward Newton Train Station before they headed for the front.
A Dundas Estates spokeswoman said: “Dundas is a responsible developer and takes great pride in working with local communities in ensuring the best outcomes on any new development.
“No one at a senior level is aware of any meeting with the community council in relation to the war memorial, nor are we aware of any damage to the memorial or its related grounds.
“However, we fully respect the importance and purpose of the memorial and we understand that the maintenance to the area surrounding the memorial has ceased in recent months.
“While we were unaware of who was responsible for these maintenance works, we will work with the local community to ensure that this unwitting neglect is remedied and that the area is reinstated and tidied by Dundas in the very near future.”