Councillors have approved a £90,000 scheme to restore the deteriorating Rollo Gillespie Monument in Comber, with the cost to be met from public funds after attempts to secure outside grants failed.

The sandstone monument, which stands 55 feet high in Comber Square, commemorates Major-General Robert Rollo Gillespie, born in the town in 1766. He died in battle in 1814 during the Anglo-Nepalese war.

A specialist survey identified eroded stonework, moss growth, and fading inscriptions. Council officers contacted heritage bodies and the Grand Masonic Lodge of Ireland, but no external funding was secured.

At an environment committee meeting, alderman Trevor Cummings noted the sandstone's vulnerability to weathering. He highlighted that an inscription on the east side dedicated to Gillespie's grandson had almost vanished. The committee unanimously approved the restoration, with officers agreeing to investigate repairing or replacing the inscription.