¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ has approved funding for five new community projects via the Scottish Government’s Place Based Investment Programme (PBIP).
Over the next year, £561,000 will go to support a range of local projects across ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute:
- Gibraltar Street, Oban - £250,000 to be invested in destination and landscape enhancements to improve access to Oban town centre
- Waterfront area, Helensburgh Pier - £163,000 will enhance the public realm and lighting of the masonry section of the Pier, matching the quality of the overall waterfront development.
- Castle House Gate Lodge and Castle Gardens, Dunoon - £70,000 will be invested in destination and landscape enhancements to improve safe access, establish the restored Gate Lodge as a bike bothy and improve its connectivity with the town
- Dunoon Burgh Hall - £50,000 to create an attractive outdoor garden café area to boost the building’s income generation potential and visually improve this area of the townscape.
- Hermitage Park, Helensburgh - £28,000 to support the ‘greening the bothy’ project
The PBIP can be used to deliver capital projects (rather than council services). In June, councillors approved the first phase of this year’s PBIP allocation with £260,000 going towards funding a shopfront improvement scheme across the area, repair work to the Tower Street building in Rothesay and a major upgrade to the Lochgilphead Front Green area.
Councillor Alastair Redman, Policy lead, Business, Regeneration and Commercial Development, said:
“Revitalising key locations in our communities is an important part of growing our local economy and moving on from the economic impact of the covid pandemic. It also progresses our wider ambitions of attracting the visitors, people and skills the area needs to prosper.
“Funding from the Place Based Investment Programme plays a significant part in supporting some fantastic projects that will further enhance our towns and neighbourhoods.â€
As well as this year’s funding, the Scottish Government has also committed to providing all local authorities with Place Based Investment funding on an annual basis for the next four years. ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute’s share is still to be confirmed. Recommendations for at least four key projects for ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute are scheduled to be considered by the Policy and Resources Committee in February 2022.