Future of Palnackie Village Shop secure thanks to Scottish Land Fund
Palnackie Village Shop is set to pass into community hands following a grant of £182,250 from the Scottish Land Fund.
The grant will allow the only shop in the village to remain open and Palnackie Village Shop Ltd, who have received the award, will also buy an adjoining cafe and an attached three-bedroom bungalow, which will be rented out to help meet the local need for affordable housing.
Susan Black, Chair, Palnackie Village Shop, said: “It’s really exciting news. The plan is to rent the house, expand and modernise the shop and create a community cafe space that can develop however the village decides. The stronger financial base means we can have more paid hours to man the shop creating longer opening times and freeing up the time of some of our hard-working volunteers.
“We have had enormous help from Scottish Land Fund advisors, Creetown Initiative and Dumfries and Galloway Small Communities Housing Trust, who have guided us through the process. Support from Buittle Parish Community Council has also been vital and all the Board members have more than pulled their weight. We are grateful to them all. “
Palnackie Village Shop Ltd is one of ten community ownership projects which have shared in £2,819,430 from the Scottish Land fund.
Minister, Cabinet Secretary for Land Reform Roseanna Cunningham said of today’s grants: “This funding will enable ordinary communities across Scotland to achieve extraordinary things. By taking ownership of these assets – which range from inns, mills and woodlands in rural areas, to a social enterprise business hub in Nitshill, Glasgow – communities will open up opportunities for a whole range of projects and activities. My best wishes go to each of the groups, who have all worked hard to secure the Scottish Land Fund grants being awarded today.”
John Watt, Scottish Land Fund Committee Chair said: “Breathing new life into redundant facilities and finding new purposes for historic sites are just some of the ways in which the Scottish Land Fund is helping to support local communities across Scotland and its benefits are being felt from some of the most remote parts of the country to densely-populated urban areas.”
Sandra Holmes, Head of Community Assets at HIE, said: “Today’s successful projects are all great examples of people taking control of local resources for the long-term benefit of their communities. The Spa Pavilion for instance, is a source of great pride to Strathpeffer and is a key economic asset for the local community as a visitor attraction and providing employment.
“Ownership will give the community greater control over these important assets and will help ensure its long-term future. We wish all the successful communities very best in their new ventures.”
Other projects receiving Scottish Land Fund cash today are:
Strathpeffer Pavilion Community Trust (SPCT)
Award - £484,500
SPCT will take over ownership of Strathpeffer Spa Pavilion, along with its pump house and gardens, in order to retain a key economic asset for the community. The Pavilion is used for weddings and community events and is a visitor attraction.
South West Mull & Iona Development
Award - £450,487
Purchasing an area of land at Bendoran in the Ross of Mull, will allow SWMID to develop a water sports centre, a boat maintenance area and seaweed farm facilities, creating employment and training opportunities.
Portree and Braes Community Trust
Award - £88,390
This group will purchase former tennis and squash courts in the centre of Portree in order to create 80 new car parking facilities and space for eight motorhomes in order to reduce congestion within the village.
Ardnamurchan Lighthouse Trust
Award - £224,900
The Trust will acquire and redevelop land and buildings surrounding the iconic lighthouse to allow it to develop the cafe, shop, exhibition space and holiday lets that it already operates on the site.
Barrhill Development Trust
Award- £135,000
Purchasing the village pub, The Trout Inn, will allow Barrhill Development Trust to retain an important amenity and to develop it for the benefit of the local economy and community.
Friends of Glenan Wood
Award - £326,750
Friends of Glenan Wood will purchase 361 acres of woodland in Cowal and the Trossachs, developing community access, creating employment for a part-time forest ranger and a development officer, and introducing a woodland management plan to safeguard the natural ecology.
Greater Pollok Enterprise Trust
Award - £332,000
This group will purchase an office building known as ‘The Wedge’, along with the ground lease of a local business park, in order to create a co-working space and a business hub that will help to support local enterprise and employment.
The Dornoch Area Community Interest Group
Award - £405,903
TDACIT will use the award to purchase the local police station and associated land in the town’s Argyle Street and convert it into a business hub, studios, workshop space for artists, accommodation for a seasonal worker and a gym.
Peebles Community Trust
Award - £189,200
Peebles Community Trust will purchase the former ex-servicemen’s club in the town, currently supporting more than 100 community groups, to prevent it from being closed and in order to allow it to be used by even more organisations.
