SCOTTISH Borders Council has named the company making ‘display cabinets’ costing £566,000 for the Great Tapestry centre.

Contractor Ogilvie Construction, based in Stirling, is known to be in control of the overall building project in Galashiels.

However, the council has now revealed that Workspace Design, of Perth, is the sub-contractor creating the “specialist display cabinets”, which are costing SBC more than half a million pounds.

Two weeks ago, councillors agreed to take £316,000 from an “emergency and unplanned schemes” fund to help cover the cost of the cabinets.

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During the meeting on January 19, Galashiels councillor Sandy Aitchison said: “If you walk through the door and you see display cabinets from IKEA, it will affect the visitor experience.”

He added: “These display cabinets are not coming from some fancy company in Germany or China.

“They are coming from a company in Scotland. This is going to be a Scottish project.”

Founded in 1973, Workspace Design frequently supplies the NHS.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the firm relaunched its Hygenius brand, designed to create hygienic workspaces to help stop the spread of infection.

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Last year, the company supplied coronavirus regional testing hubs with units including laboratory benches, social-distancing dividers and reception desks.

Regarding the Galashiels project, a Workspace Design spokesperson said: “We are not able to comment on this at the moment.”

In March last year, the company launched its Active RapidLab range, described as “a medical cabinetry and work-surface system specifically designed for urgent COVID-19 projects”.

The range is fit for COVID laboratories, as well as testing and vaccination centres.

The company was also involved in the creation of the NHS Nightingale Hospital North West in Manchester, one of the temporary hospitals set up to combat the spread of the virus.

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Last month, a council report on the tapestry centre – which will be the home of the 143m-long Great Tapestry of Scotland – stated that the target of a spring opening is unlikely to be met.

However, a press statement issued by SBC said the build is “nearing the final phase of construction” and is on track to come in within its budget of £6.7m.

The report also recommended taking £316,000 from the council’s emergency funds, within the Capital Investment Plan, to pay for the over-budget cabinets. The proposal was approved at last month’s meeting of the executive committee.