Scottish Government & COSLA Announce £25m in Regeneration Funding for Communities

SG - Local areas across Scotland are set to benefit from a share of £25 million to help regenerate their communities.

A total of 29 projects will be awarded funding in 2017/18 as part of the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF), which supports projects in disadvantaged areas that engage and involve local communities.

The joint Scottish Government and COSLA investment will inject new life and opportunity into disadvantaged and fragile rural areas, helping support or create more than 2,300 jobs, support some 50 community facilities and services and refurbish or bring back into use around 25 local buildings.

Projects being funded include:

• £1.9 million to Aberdeen City Council to deliver a new, purpose built community hub in Tillydrone
• £1.6 million to Argyll & Bute Council for the Tobermory Light Industrial Park – a purpose built site on Mull to support the business community
• £750,000 to City of Edinburgh Council for the Leith Walk Studios, providing workspaces for new businesses and creative entrepreneurs, and the Street Market and Community Partnership Service Hub project to re-develop derelict buildings and launch a new street market initiative
• £1.2 million for the former Midmills campus of Inverness College, bringing back into use listed city centre buildings
• £475,000 to Scottish Borders Council towards the Newcastleton Hub & Community Fuel Pumps regeneration project

Local Government Minister Kevin Stewart and Cllr Stephen Hagan, COSLA Spokesperson for Development, Economy and Sustainability, announced the funding on a visit to Out of the Blue in Leith, one of the sites that will benefit.

Mr Stewart said:

“I am delighted that 29 fantastic locally-driven projects will benefit from this major injection of funding. Spanning the length and breadth of the country, they will help regenerate local areas, stimulate economic growth and create new jobs.

“The focus of the projects range from tackling social isolation to services to address health inequalities, educational attainment, support ex-offenders and boost tourism. They are an excellent example of how national and local government are working together on shared priorities that benefit local communities.

“I’m also pleased to announce that RCGF funding has been confirmed until 2021 – and that a call for applications to the fund for 2018/19 will be made shortly.”

Cllr Hagan said:

“I’m very pleased to announce today the projects to be funded in 2017/2018 from the joint COSLA and Scottish Government RCGF. This fund is invaluable in helping to transform communities up and down the country and results in strong economic, social and physical regeneration outcomes.

“The diversity of the projects being supported is a testament to innovative thinking from local communities where regeneration activity is being tailored to local circumstances.

“The RCGF continues to go from strength to strength and the successful projects announced today reinforce local authorities’ commitment to regenerating their local communities for the benefit of local people.”

Background:

A total of 95 Regeneration Capital Grant Fund projects have been supported since 2014/15. Funding has been confirmed for the remainder of the current parliamentary term, subject to annual spending reviews.

The fund, which has been developed in partnership with COSLA and local authorities, is open to all 32 Scottish local authorities and their Special Purpose Vehicles. An independent panel makes recommendations on which projects should receive funding.

The projects awarded funding for 2017/18 are:

Lead organisation	Project title	*Grant requested
Aberdeen City Council	Tillydrone Community Hub	£1,900,000
Argyll & Bute Council	Oban Maritime Quarter- Transit Berthing Facility	£700,000
Argyll & Bute Council	Ardrishaig Waterfront - Maritime Hub Phase 1	£580,000
Argyll & Bute Council	Tobermory Light Industrial Park	£1,600,000
City of Edinburgh Council	Broomhouse Community Hub	£801,600
City of Edinburgh Council	Leith Walk Studios, Street Market and Community Partnership Service Hub	£750,000
Clyde Gateway URC	Arena District Industrial Development - Enabling Works	£600,000
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	Isle of Lewis Heritage Programme	£870,000
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	Castlebay Harbour Initiative	£302,195
Dumfries & Galloway Council	Stranraer Millennium Centre	£987,735
East Ayrshire Council	Ayrshire Food from Ayrshire Folk	£920,000
East Dunbartonshire Council	Auchinairn Community Regeneration Project	£1,500,000
East Lothian Council	The Fraser Centre Capital Project: Achieving Change in Tranent	£730,000
Falkirk Council	Arnotdale House, Falkirk - Community Hub	£1,125,547
Glasgow City Council	Elderpark Community Centre	£400,000
Glasgow City Council	Pollokshields Community Hub	£550,000
Glasgow City Council	Seven Lochs-Easterhouse Community Gateways	£675,000
Highland Council	Midmills Creative Hub	£1,200,000
Highland Council	Redevelopment of the Gairloch AAOR Site	£350,000
Midlothian Council	Track 2 Train	£360,000
Orkney Islands Council	Orkney Research Campus Phase 1	£500,000
Perth & Kinross Council	Creative Exchange Perth	£335,000
Raploch URC Company	Kildean Employability & Enterprise hub	£900,000
Renfrewshire Council	Paisley Town Centre Regeneration: Learning & Cultural Hub	£1,500,000
Renfrewshire Council	Mossedge Village Project	£800,000
Riverside Inverclyde URC	Micro-Business Enterprising Communities Hub, Greenock	£900,000
Scottish Borders Council	Newcastleton Hub & Community Fuel Pumps	£474,720
South Lanarkshire Council	Community Resource Hub	£450,000
Transforming Communities: Glasgow	Citizens Theatre Redevelopment	£2,500,000
		£25,261,797

*Final grants may change as they are subject to technical checks on applications being completed.

Source: Scottish Government