South Scotland MSP Joan McAlpine has congratulated the Annan Harbour Action Group after the group was awarded a grant of £98,000 from the Scottish Land Fund, an agency set up and funded by the Scottish Government.
The group will use the funding to purchase land and property around the town’s harbour area. The grant is one of a number given to communities in Dumfries and Galloway allowing them to take ownership of their land.
The local MSP was speaking during a visit to the site last week. She was given a tour by the group’s Harbour Development Officer, Alan Thomson, who outlined the plans for the area. These include developing the land around the harbour to create a lagoon for kayaking and watersports as well as creating an enhanced public space at the quay. The group also hope to purchase a historic warehouse next to the quay which they plan on converting to a café, training space and heritage centre.
Commenting, Ms McAlpine said,
“It was great to meet with Alan last week and hear about the Action Group’s exciting plans to re-develop the warehouse and harbour area. Not only will their proposed development improve this part of the town, it will offer fantastic new water sport facilities for locals and visitors as well as creating vital training opportunities for young people.
“In addition, the plans will create an active travel hub to tie in with the coastal path and coast to coast cycle route which, it’s hoped, will enhance the region’s offer for cyclists, walkers, bird watchers and water sports enthusiasts. The development should eventually lead to an increase in visitors to the town, benefitting the Annan community and the local economy as we move forward into the post-pandemic recovery phase.
“The Annan Harbour development is just one of many projects in Dumfries and Galloway which have benefited from grants from the Scottish Land Fund, which was set up by the SNP Scottish Government to contribute to land reform in Scotland. Its goal is to help local groups buy land and assets for the benefit of people who live and work in their communities. Previous funding has enabled projects like affordable housing in Whithorn and Glentrool, walking and cycle paths in Nithsdale, the purchase of woodland near Carsphairn and Moffat, town centre regeneration in Dumfries and, more recently, the purchase of Langholm Moor by the Langholm Initiative.”
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