Multi-million-pounds funding granted to regenerate Stranraer
This commitment could lead to a further £9 million investment from other sources.
It's hoped a £3 million boost will help regenerate Stranraer.
The town's getting the cash through the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal.
The six projects that are lined up to create jobs and grow the economy are all part of Stranraer’s Development Trust’s Place Plan, All Rise on the Tide.
A potential further £9 million from different sources could be granted over the next ten years.
Six priority projects ranked by the community have been outlined in the funding plan and everyone is set to benefit according to the Stranraer Development Trust Vice Chair Harry Harbottle.
It goes as follows: East Pier – event space, The Big Makeover – town centre, Town Centre Living – empty properties for housing, Dicks Hill Wellbeing Hub – growing/learning community space, Stanctuary – outdoor learning space on the Black Stank burn, and Wet Weather Escapes – rainy day solutions.
These projects are hoped to attract an additional 60,000 visitors to Stranraer annually, create 65 jobs, see a 15% increase in business turnover, and bring 1,200m² of vacant and derelict sites back into use.
Harbottle says they have a vision:
“The town has been neglected, especially since the ferries left twelve years ago. We seemed to be on a course of degeneration but, now we want to regenerate. We want to give people pride in the town and create a better quality of life for people in the town or coming to the town. We want to attract more visitors; we want to attract more events.”
Now that the ball is rolling, he explains the next steps:
“We’re now working up more detailed plans about what we’re doing in each of these areas. Hopefully, the money will come on stream for these new projects in the financial year which is the beginning of April next year, and we can start spending some money then and people can start noticing some changes.”
Councillor Gail Macgregor, Leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council and member of the Borderlands Partnership Board confirmed their support. “We believe that the Place Plan’s proposals meet our original intentions for this funding programme - to help communities grow and thrive. Clearly, Stranraer’s Place Plan is very much a reflection of local people’s hopes and priorities. And the follow-up Town Investment Plan demonstrates a level of evidence that the collective impact of Stranraer’s
“6 priority projects will deliver on the aspirations of the Borderlands’ Place Programme.”
This investment demonstrates a further wide commitment to the potential of the coastal town by bringing the full funding total that’s already in the pipeline to roughly £50 million.
That includes money that has been granted for the council’s transformation of the George Hotel as a creative hub, bunkhouse and climbing centre, the marina expansion project and more.