The regeneration of town centres continues to be a priority for Dumfries and Galloway Council. Members of Economy and Resources Committee (23 March) will be asked to allocate £1M of funding from Council Tax on second homes income to deliver the 2021/22 Town Centre Living Fund (TCLF) projects.
The approach taken by the Council to increase the provision of housing in town centres has received national praise and recognition as best practice. Previous allocations have enabled multi-million pound investment from sources including private investment, the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP), Rural Housing Fund and Scottish Land Fund.
Delivery of the TCLF aligns with the objectives of the Borderlands Growth Deal to stimulate the repurposing of towns and centres across the area and to attract and retain the working age population. It also helps the Council to support the local retail and construction sectors, create jobs and support supply chains while providing much needed homes. Providing members agree, by putting this budget in place, it will further enable the region to attract inward investment, bolstering the areas economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic which has significantly impacted town centres throughout Dumfries and Galloway.
Council investment in our town centres should attract further funding from elsewhere: The 2020/21 TCLF allocations made to date are estimated to support further local investment in excess of £9.3million from a range of funding streams. These include the AHSP, Rural Housing Fund and Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) finances and private property owners’ own resources.
Members have already agreed to allocate £500k from the 2020/21 Town Centre Living Fund to support housing developments that will contribute to the regeneration of town centres. This budget has been allocated to projects with a total estimated investment value of over £8.8 million, delivering more than 40 homes within walking distance of local high streets. Members will now be asked to agree another £500k for 2021/22 to support further delivery.
Members have also already agreed to allocate £300k from the TCLF to provide grant assistance to owners of empty properties in town centres to help bring them back into use as housing and this committee will be asked to allocate a further £300k to fund the 2021/22 work.
Rob Davidson, Chair of Economy and Resources Committee said: “The Town Centre Living Fund contributes to the Council priorities to ‘Build the local economy’ and ‘Urgently respond to climate change and transition to a carbon neutral region’ and being ‘an inclusive Council’. We can revitalise our town centres through the development of high quality affordable housing. Increasing the numbers of people living in our town centres will in turn boost the local economy. As well as the TCLF we also provide ‘Below Tolerable Standards’ grants, to ensure that existing accommodation is brought up to safe modern standards in properties across our region.”
Archie Dryburgh, Vice Chair said: “Not only does town centre living directly help the local economy, it also helps to lower carbon emissions by providing homes within easy access of services and employment, reducing the need for travel and car ownership. In addition, finding a sustainable use for vacant properties and derelict sites helps retain the area’s built heritage, whilst reducing the impact of development. There are a number of particular challenges faced in this region. These include a high prevalence of older properties, detached homes and people living in remote rural locations, but the various funds on offer should help with a host of challenges.”
To read the full report go to: https://dumfriesgalloway.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s29282/Town%20Centre%20Living%20Fund%202021-22.pdf
