Council bosses have agreed to carry out work on an overgrown Crieff churchyard after complaints from the public.
Earlier this month, the local authority announced in a letter to community councillors that it was putting an immediate halt to grass-cutting at St Michael’s Old Parish Church.
Perth and Kinross Council’s acting direct services manager Nigel Taylor told the town’s watchdog group that he was “very concerned” to learn that his staff had been cutting grass at the burial site.
He also apologised to locals for getting their expectations up.
Now following further talks between Mr Taylor and Craig Finlay of Crieff Community Council, a compromise has been reached.
Mr Taylor pledged that two mower-width strips of grass will be cut in front of the gravestones so that visitors can see them more clearly. Work is expected to resume this month.
The council’s bereavement services team have also offered to supply some wildflower and plant pots to add some extra colour to the site.
The change of heart comes amid confusion about who owns the site.
A council spokeswoman had earlier told The Courier that the local authority did not own the churchyard and therefore did not need to maintain it.
However, the claim was questioned by local MSP Roseanna Cunningham who revealed a recent letter from the council’s environmental services department which stated that the council does own the ground.
Mr Finlay had also pointed out to Mr Taylor that council teams still maintain paths and edges at the similarly-aged Greyfriar’s burial ground in Perth.
He said: “After some disappointing news recently regarding the end of the grass-cutting programme at St Michael’s, I was pleased to be able to meet with Nigel Taylor this week and agree a compromise which will suit all parties and will also improve the look of the site for any tourists that wander in.”
He added: “It really came down to the point of Greyfriar’s in Perth receiving grounds maintenance and I could see no reason why Crieff shouldn’t have the same assistance particularly because it is an urban graveyard.”
Mr Finlay said he is also looking at erecting a small wrought iron fence around protected stump stones.
Locals led a hard-fought campaign to secure maintenance work at St Michael’s.
It followed months of complaints about the perilous state of the 19th Century building.