“A border offers identity but one that is enriched by neighbours, so that it’s not so much a line of separation as a local set of interconnected values.” Cecil Balmond
The Star of Caledonia supports an image of a dynamic, innovative, outward-looking region that is capable of attracting and offering both investment and talent. More than five million vehicles travel north and south each year, yielding a potential audience of ten million people who experience the England-Scotland Border Crossing.
The Gretna Landmark is an important flagship project for the Gretna area and has the potential to be a powerful catalyst for the development of Gretna-Lockerbie-Annan as a national gateway to Scotland. The designs have been likened to the stars and highlights the Dumfries and Galloway Region’s Dark Skies Park status.
“The star is magical and looks like the galaxy” feedback from a pupil of a Gretna School during community consultation.
The presence of a world-class statement Scottish Landmark will signal a meaningful exploration of identity and borders, and will promote Scotland as a vibrant and creative country rich in ideas, cultural heritage and natural resources.
Though there were many different arguments made for this work, it was often that of economic impact, using successful examples such as ‘The Angel of the North’, which convinced Dumfries and Galloway Council, Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise Dumfries and Galloway and the Nuclear Decommissioning Fund to invest in the design stage of the project.
This process led to a series of gatherings which explored the cultural and economic reasons for undertaking the project, deepening Dumfries and Galloway Council’s commitment and examining the local and national need for a public landmark at Gretna.
