After planners were told it posed a risk to visitors if it remained in a public park, a stone lion which sits on top of a Midlothian war memorial is to be replaced.
Nicknamed Leo, the lion was placed in Loanhead’s Memorial Park as part of a memorial for locals who lost their lives in the Second World War.
But concrete repairs carried out over the years have led to cracks and further damage leaving it beyond further work.
In a statement from an expert stonemason who examined Leo, planning officers have been told years of repairs using cement have made repairing it not a long term solution.
They said: “In addition to the failed repairs, the age of the monument has led to separation along the natural bedding planes of the stone.
“Of particular concern is a pronounced crack located at the lower front foot of the lion. This fissure is deep, appears to represent full separation, and is situated in a structurally critical area.
“Given its location and depth, this defect presents a heightened risk, particularly in a public park setting where the monument is accessible to visitors.”
Listed building consent for the removal of Leo and replacement with a ‘like for like’ statue on the Category C Listed memorial has been approved by planners who said the approach taken by the experts would honour the historic character of it.
Planners were told a 3D model of Leo will be produced using a digital scanner to ensure his replacement is accurate in size and proportions before a new lion is carved from Corsehill sandstone.
The council warned, however, that proposals from a local firm that Leo is relocated in their garden in the town may not be possible.
In a report they warn the stonemason has said that may not be possible saying “They suspect that the existing lion will not fully survive the removal process due to it’s poor condition and previous ineffective repairs.
“So while the armed forces group have advised me that the CEO for MacTaggart-Scott in Loanhead, who have donated most of the funding for the
replacement, want to put the original Lion in their garden on Edgefield Road for public display, the stone mason believes this is unlikely to be possible due to the condition of the existing lion.”
By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter
