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27 Sep 2013

Leaked report shows Scotland’s historic buildings need £170m of repairs

Scotland’s historic buildings are in need of over £170m worth of repairs and improvements, with at least 1,700 sites requiring urgent conservation, a leaked report from Historic Scotland has revealed.

Historic Scotland, which maintains 345 landmarks including castles, abbeys, monuments and museums, has warned investment in infrastructure has been inadequate and that both Edinburgh and Stirling castles have management issues.

Written in February, the document had not been shown to the public until recently, with Fiona Hyslop, the Scottish Culture Minister, making no mention of the study in her parliamentary statements.

The report predicts that £42m will be required over the next 20 years to conserve historic landmarks, with a further £63m required for new states.

An extra £67m is needed for investment in visitor presentation and tourism, with the combined amount required "over and above" current budgets.

"Lack of project funding means that it is increasingly likely they will be generally limited to ground-level works (i.e. those not requiring scaffolding)," the report says.

The report was produced by David Mitchell, Historic Scotland’s director of conservation, in combination with tourism director Stephen Duncan.