Tuesday August 25th 2026
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Concerned councillors have put on hold a £15k bid towards a new visitor centre at a Roman site in the Scottish Borders amid legal confusion.
When members of Scottish Borders Council’s William Hill Trust Fund Sub-Committee met today (August 25) they were asked to contribute the funds towards an expansion bid at Trimontium at Newstead near Melrose, a museum also telling the wider story of the Romans in Scotland.
Funding was to be used to purchase and build a cabin to support access and outdoor learning activities interpreting military and civilian life at the fort and indigenous culture within the wider landscape.
It would also offer a reception for visitors to the site, act as a muster point for guided walks, provide storage for learning material and equipment and become an educational base for the construction of a replica Iron Age roundhouse, which is subject of separate funding.
But members deferred a decision for legal clarification on whether the funding met the geographical criteria of the William Hill Trust Fund, with concerns raised that as the museum was not in Melrose itself it would not qualify for financial support.
The committee had received initial legal advice that Newstead as an area was within the remit of the fund.
However, deferral came after concerns were raised by members that pre-Covid a decision was made to refuse a Newstead funding bid on the grounds that the area did not qualify for support.
Councillor Jenny Linehan said: “I just feel a bit nervous because of the legal side of things when we have on this forum before said no to a funding request in Newstead.”
Chair Councillor David Parker agreed, adding that they needed to be “belt and braces sure” that they were on sound legal ground.
It was agreed that the fund trustees arrange a meeting with Nuala McKinley, SBC’s chief legal officer, to ensure that agreeing to the funding would not leave the committee open to a legal challenge.
The fund was established following the death of local businessman and benefactor William Hill, who passed away in 1974 and left his estate as a bequest to support good causes and organizations in the town.
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