The Repurposing Property Grant Fund was created to help support landowners and community groups to bring back vacant land and properties to use.
It is another strand of the ambitious Community Wealth Building Strategy and Regeneration Delivery Plan – where the Council work more closely than ever with community groups to make the most of local assets – and long-term plans to regenerate the area.
The aims of the fund are to:
- enable or support the repair or redevelopment of vacant land and buildings
- act as a catalyst to promote future investment from the private sector and external funding
- safeguard the future of prominent buildings by indicating how high-quality conversion may be achieved
- enable the Council to map development potential and barriers to development
Stage 1
Supports property owners or community groups to carry out feasibility studies to identify potential options for the sites and their viability.
A maximum of £10,000 is available for sites under one hectare and a maximum of £25,000 for larger sites.
Applications to the fund will be assessed against a range of factors. This includes the length of time vacant or derelict, whether or not they are recorded on the national Vacant and Derelict Land or Buildings at Risk registers and their proximity to town centres. Subject to the level of interest, the spread of funding across localities and owners will be considered. This is to reflect the geographical focus of the funding programmes contributing to the overall Fund.
The stage 1 guidance and application documents are available for download.
Stage 1 awards
Stage 1 awards
| Site | Grant | Status |
|---|
| The Flask, Saltcoats |
£6,000 |
In progress |
| 16 to 18 Dockhead Street, Saltcoats |
£5,000 |
In progress |
| 2 Townhead, Kilbirnie |
£22,938 |
In progress |
| Whitehouse Woods, Lamlash |
£20,346 |
Complete |
| Hunterston Road, West Kilbride |
£4,450 |
Complete |
| Harbour Street, Saltcoats |
£3,250 |
Complete |
| Geilsland House, Beith |
£19,924 |
In progress |
| 5 to 9 Quay Street, Saltcoats |
£8,050 |
In progress |
| Millport Chapel, Beith |
£16,662 |
In progress |
| Douglas Park Coach House, Largs |
£3,420 |
Complete |
| Site BP9, Riverside Business Park, Irvine |
£24,975 |
In progress |
| Barrmill Community Centre, Barmill |
£9,996 |
In progress |
| Main Street, West Kilbride |
£4,260 |
In progress |
The total value of grants awarded in £149,271.
Stage 2
Stage 2 of the fund is now open to applications from property owners for more detailed project development works. The second stage of the Repurposing Property Grant Fund will help support landowners prepare detailed designs, obtain necessary consents, confirm costs and to identify sources of funding. The stage 2 will build upon the feasibility works undertaken at stage 1.
An assessment process will be applied when considering applications. This is designed to prioritise applications relating to North Ayrshire Locality priorities, long-term vacant, and historic or prominent buildings sites in proximity to Town Centres. As with stage 1 awards a spread of funding across localities and owners will be considered.
A maximum grant of 50% of eligible costs is available, up to a maximum of £50,000 for sites over 0.1 hectares and a maximum £20,000 for sites under 0.1 hectares.
Advice on grant eligibility and any other RPGF queries should be discussed by emailing the Regeneration Team.
The stage 2 guidance and application documents are available for download.