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Ross-shire set to secure lion's share of £2.9m town funding boost


By Hector MacKenzie

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The fund aims to breathe fresh life into town centres.
The fund aims to breathe fresh life into town centres.

MEMBERS of Highland Council’s environment, development and infrastructure committee have welcomed new funding to stimulate economic investments in town centres to help them diversify and flourish.

Ross-shire has emerged as one of the greatest beneficiaries and stands to secure almost £1m worth of funding.

In partnership with COSLA, the Scottish Government have provided £50m capital to set up the Town Centre Fund 2019-2020.

Every local authority has received an allocation of the fund based on an equal weighting of the number of towns in a local authority and its population.

A town is classed as a locality with a population of 1000 or more people.

The total allocation ring-fenced for Highland is £2,965,000 – the fifth highest in Scotland.

Chairman of the environment, development and infrastructure committee, Councillor Allan Henderson, said: “The Town Centre Fund will enable us to invest in local improvements and help town centres to become more diverse, successful and sustainable.

"This could include repurposing buildings and improving access and infrastructure. What we have is an opportunity to build on work already done to develop and implement town centre action plans that will increase footfall through local improvements and partnerships."

In line with the council’s commitment to localism and to bring decision-making closer to communities, local area committees will take on the role of identifying and recommending which projects receive funding.

Based on funding distribution methodology used by the Scottish Government but amended to give each area committee a base allocation, and to reflect the importance that Thurso and Wick make to the Caithness community, indicative area allocations have been identified as follows:

Ross and Cromarty Committee – £928,513

Badenoch and Strathspey Area Committee – £265,289

Caithness Committee – £265,290

City of Inverness Area Committee – £596,901

Isle of Skye and Rasaay Committee – £198,967

Lochaber Committee – £198,967

Nairnshire Committee – £198,967

Sutherland Committee – £198,967

Cllr Henderson added: “The money allocated to us has to be spent within the next 12 months. I would like to see this support for investing in our town centres continue. If it does we will be able to forward plan and look in detail at which projects can best re-purpose our town centres to help them become more diverse, successful and sustainable."


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