McArthur highlights Tomb of the Eagles purchase bid in parliament

Orkney’s MSP Liam McArthur has today highlighted South Ronaldsay and Burray Development Trust’s bid to purchase the Tomb of the Eagles, praising the Trust and the national funding bodies supporting their bid and calling on the Scottish Government to provide support to the Development Trust.

During Portfolio Questions in the Scottish Parliament today, Mr McArthur highlighted the constructive discussions between the Development Trust and the current owners, as well as support from Orkney Islands Council and a range of funding bodies for proposals that enjoy strong support within the local community and across Orkney.

Mr McArthur urged the Culture Secretary, Angus Robertson to lend the government’s support to the efforts to re-open the iconic site.

Speaking in the Chamber, Mr McArthur said:

“Given we know that community ownership of heritage assets can catalyse local action and unlock enormous benefits, both locally but also nationally, will the Cabinet Secretary welcome this initiative, and also offer what support he can to the Development Trust, so that the iconic Tomb of the Eagles site can be opened to both locals and visitors in the very near future?”

Responding, Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said:

“I very much welcome the work that has been undertaken, and I’d be delighted to hear from the Development Trust about whether there’s anything the Scottish Government can do, or indeed our agencies can do, to help speed up and deliver the project.”

Commenting afterwards, Mr McArthur said:

“I am pleased to hear the Culture Secretary offer his support to the South Ronaldsay and Burray Development Trust as they take forward proposals to purchase the Tomb of the Eagles.

“We know that community ownership of local heritage assets can bring real benefits, especially when it comes to a site as significant as this one.

“Support for this initiative within the local community and across Orkney is strong, but support from funding bodies and public agencies is also critical. To date, there has been excellent collaboration between all involved and hopefully that will continue as the project moves forward.

“I’m sure the Development Trust will wish to take up the Culture Secretary invitation to provide more detail of their plans, and I look forward to continuing to support these efforts to see the Tomb of the Eagles reopened to the public as soon as possible.”