Palnackie Village Shop Future Secured As £180k Grant Assures Community Ownership

Palnackie Village Shop is set to pass into community hands following a grant of £182,250 from the Scottish Land Fund.

The grant will allow the only shop in the village to remain open and Palnackie Village Shop Ltd, who have received the award, will also buy an adjoining cafe and an attached three-bedroom bungalow, which will be rented out to help meet the local need for affordable housing. 

Susan Black, Chair, Palnackie Village Shop, said: “It’s really exciting news. The plan is to rent the house, expand and modernise the shop and create a community cafe space that can develop however the village decides. The stronger financial base means we can have more paid hours to man the shop creating longer opening times and freeing up the time of some of our hard-working volunteers.

“We have had enormous help from Scottish Land Fund advisors, Creetown Initiative and Dumfries and Galloway Small Communities Housing Trust, who have guided us through the process. Support from Buittle Parish Community Council has also been vital and all the Board members have more than pulled their weight. We are grateful to them all. “

Palnackie Village Shop Ltd is one of ten community ownership projects which have shared in £2,819,430 from the Scottish Land fund.

Minister, Cabinet Secretary for Land Reform Roseanna Cunningham said of today’s grants: “This funding will enable ordinary communities across Scotland to achieve extraordinary things. By taking ownership of these assets – which range from inns, mills and woodlands in rural areas, to a social enterprise business hub in Nitshill, Glasgow – communities will open up opportunities for a whole range of projects and activities. My best wishes go to each of the groups, who have all worked hard to secure the Scottish Land Fund grants being awarded today.”  

John Watt, Scottish Land Fund Committee Chair said: “Breathing new life into redundant facilities and finding new purposes for historic sites are just some of the ways in which the Scottish Land Fund is helping to support local communities across Scotland and its benefits are being felt from some of the most remote parts of the country to densely-populated urban areas.”

Sandra Holmes, Head of Community Assets at HIE, said: “Today’s successful projects are all great examples of people taking control of local resources for the long-term benefit of their communities. The Spa Pavilion for instance, is a source of great pride to Strathpeffer and is a key economic asset for the local community as a visitor attraction and providing employment.

“Ownership will give the community greater control over these important assets and will help ensure its long-term future. We wish all the successful communities very best in their new ventures.”