Three funding applications for investment in two town centre properties will be put before members for their approval next week. Members of the Communities committee will be asked to approve funding for Dumfries High Street Limited and the St Bride’s Anglican Church when they meet on Thursday 31 January.
Three funding applications have been made to the Council’s Town Centre Living Fund. The Fund supports the development of sites and empty buildings within town centres across the region.
Previous applications to the Fund have demonstrated that the approved funding from the council has been an enabler for organisations to source additional funding, allowing them to complete their projects, helping to support the aspirations of both the local community and the council. Successful projects that have now been delivered because of investment from the Town Centre Living Fund include the former police station in Langholm and the former bank of Scotland in Wigtown both of which have been transformed to provide affordable living accommodation within the town centres.
Two of the applications that Members are being asked to consider next week are both for properties within Dumfries Town Centre:
Dumfries High Street Limited (trading as Midsteeple Quarter) are seeking funding to complete the Oven project to convert a long-empty High Street building into the flagship development for the Midsteeple Quarter project for Dumfries town centre. This funding allocation will act as a catalyst so that the Midsteeple Project can then submit further applications to external organisations for significant levels of capital funding for their project.
Saint Bride’s Anglican Church are seeking funding of £45,704 to enable them to consider the long-term future of the iconic Greyfriars Kirk. The Trustees and Congregation of Saint Brides wish to investigate robust and viable options for the building’s long-term future. Utility bills and repair costs are a placing significant burden on available funds, meaning that a longer-term solution is required to avoid the possibility of the building falling into dereliction.
The Trustees and the Congregation have been working with the older LGBT community in Dumfries and Galloway to look at ways new housing could meet the needs of this community. The application from Saint Bride’s is to allow the Trustees to explore the option of developing the land at the rear of the church for affordable town centre housing for rent.
The third application to the fund is for the re-allocation of funding previously made to Cunninghame Housing Association. At the 6 September meeting of Communities committee, Members agreed the transfer of Park Place, Lockerbie Project from Cunninghame Housing Association to Building Craftsmen. They specialise in the construction of commercial and residential properties and are a significant employer in the region. To ensure that this significant site within he town of Lockerbie can be utilised, Building Craftsmen stated that they would be able to develop the site through the Scottish Government’s Partnership Support for Regeneration funding stream.
Chair of the Communities Committee, Andy Ferguson, said;
“Our Council is ambitious about the local economy and we aspire to regenerate our town centres and settlements. By bringing empty properties back into use and encouraging people to live in these locations, we can improve their sustainability and vibrancy. This fund aims to enable projects that will provide affordable housing while also contributing to town centre regeneration and supporting the empowerment of local communities, giving people a stronger voice on the issues that matter to them. By encouraging the refurbishment of empty properties and providing homes for our communities we will support the ongoing work aimed at improving the sustainability and vibrancy of our town centres and settlements.”
Vice Chair, John Martin, added;
“Our Council has set aside £1 million for the Town Centre Living Fund to support projects that will help bring back town centre properties into use and provide much needed affordable housing in our town centres. The three proposals that will come before members at the committee next week are all very ambitious and demonstrate that groups in our communities have the vision to help make our town centres attractive places to stay in.”
