Two Dumfries and Galloway regeneration projects to share nearly £3million
Let's Get Sporty Community Trust plan to use the Scottish Government funding to expand Lochvale House and help more than 100 people into work.
Two Dumfries and Galloway regeneration projects are set to share nearly £3million.
It will help more than 100 people into work.
Let's Get Sporty Community Trust is to receive more than £1.5mi to help expand Lochvale House in Dumfries, with plans to regenerate Annan Harbour receiving more than £1.3m.
Let's Get Sporty director and Lochvale House chief executive, David Bradbury, said: 'It's amazing news.
'It's been more than five years that the trust has been working to pull the money together so we're delighted to get it sorted.'
Annan Harbour Action Group chairman, and Annandale South Councillor, Richard Brodie added: 'This award is a massive boost to the Annan Harbour Project.
'It means that we don't have to scale back on our ambitious plans and that we can deliver this significant regeneration of Annan on or ahead of schedule.'
The cash has come from Scottish Government funds aimed at regenerating communities.
Let's Get Sporty will use the cash from the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund to add new facilities including a cafe and soft play area to Lochvale House in Georgetown.
All being well, work will start in October and be finished by next summer – paving the way for a significant expansion of their Let's Get Employed programme.
Mr Bradbury said: 'Let's Get Sporty and Lochvale House have a phenomenal working partnership.
'We took over seven years ago but we quickly found that the building was full. We had to look at a bigger picture of how we could build something at the back of Lochvale House that could be sustainable and also offer more employability opportunities.
'We'll be building a soft play area – which we can hopefully turn into a laser quest at night – and putting in a cafe, hospitality area, training rooms and baby rooms. It'll be a good community facility and also enhance what we have.
'We already have hairdressers, beauticians, barbers, accountants, Crossroads, Early Years Scotland, Let's Get Sporty and four osteopaths.
'We've probably got about 30 to 40 user groups using our hall and cafe area every week as well.
'We needed another big pull so we could build more income generation and support more placements.
'We currently have about 140 Let's Get Employed placements a week – we're maxed out. With this new facility we can take on more than 100 people again.
'The programme will be for all ages – from parent employability to giving young people more opportunities to thrive.
'Let's Get Employed is the heart of everything we do, so it means we can offer more opportunities for the region.'
Other funding for the £2.5m project has come from The Holywood Trust, Dumfries and Galloway Council and South of Scotland Enterprise, with planning permission already secured thanks to work by Robert Potter and Partners and McGowan and Miller.
Annan Harbour Action Group is working with the council on regenerating the harbour, which is set to cost more than £15m.
Nearly £12m of that has come from the UK Government's Levelling Up fund. The first phase of the project has now been awarded more than £1.3m from the Scottish Government's Vacant and Derelict Land Investment programme.
AHAG development manager, Alan Thomson, said: 'We are immensely grateful to Dumfries and Galloway Council's economic development team and the Scottish Government for this award.
'While we were confident that our project will indeed bring vacant and derelict land into productive use for the community, we did not underestimate the task of securing such a large amount of capital funding in these difficult times.
'With this boost we can now push on and appoint contractors with a view to beginning construction early next year.'
The scheme includes redeveloping Collett's Building to form a visitor hub and community facility, and revitalising Port Street Quay and the adjacent Minister's Merse by constructing a footbridge to connect the two.
The two projects are among 24 schemes receiving more than £21.5m from the Scottish Government.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: 'This funding will help to transform derelict sites the length and breadth of Scotland, creating homes, jobs and facilities that drive economic growth, tackle poverty and help support and growing thriving communities.'
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