£300000 of Campbeltown CHORD funds for Campbeltown Town Hall

[Kintyre Forum News]

£300,000 of Campbeltown CHORD funds for Campbeltown Town Hall

It has been agreed at Thursday’s council meeting (THU 27 JUNE) that up to £300,000 from the Campbeltown CHORD project fund will be allocated to the South Kintyre Development Trust (SKDT). The money will be used for the Campbeltown Town Hall project.

The Campbeltown Town Hall is seen as one of the most important buildings in the town and is located within the Campbeltown Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI). It is one of only two key properties which has still to be delivered and there is THI grant funding of £378,000 ring fenced for the project.

In February 2011 the trust indicated they wanted to take on the building which had been earmarked for mothballing by the council. Since then the council has been working in partnership with SKDT to make sure this important community building has a sustainable future. Most of the funding required to make this happen is being sought from the Big Lottery Growing Community Assets fund however there still remains a shortfall of £300,000 and there are limited other ways to get this money.

Lead Councillor for Environment, Development and Infrastructure, John Semple said, “This is a key building in Campbeltown and an important community asset. The money the council has agreed to allocate will go some way towards helping refurbish the Town Hall into a mix of community and commercial space which will then become a focal point for the town, generating activity in the town centre. I look forward to seeing the finished result.”

Information for editors:

Campbeltown Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) is part of Argyll and Bute Council’s Campbeltown CHORD Project. It is a £2 million grant funded heritage project that aims to restore the appearance of key and target buildings within the town centre. Funders include the Heritage Lottery Fund, Argyll and Bute Council and Argyll and the Islands LEADER.

Since 2007 over 70 grants totalling £850,000 have been approved resulting in works to over 50 town centre buildings including tenements, shop fronts and community facilities etc. With property owners own contributions being taken into account over £5 million will be invested in town centre property.

[adoptedscot]

That's really good news!

[mrn]

That's really good news!

Is it? £300000 to be spent on a Town Hall which will not meet the needs of the 21st century? Who actually makes these decisions? Don't get me wrong the Town Hall is an important part of Campbeltown, in fact arguably the most important building in Campbeltown and one of the most iconic town halls in Scotland but isn't this a case of throwing good money at something the town won't use?

[adoptedscot]

How do you know it won't meet the needs of the 21st century? Have you seen the plans? Attended the information events?
Got involved in the public consultation exercises?

[mrn]

How do you know it won't meet the needs of the 21st century? Have you seen the plans? Attended the information events?
Got involved in the public consultation exercises?

We could argue what does nowadays
Yes
Yes
Yes

[Ship called Dignity]

PURELY for debate purposes lets turn this on its head a bit - not my personal opinion but just for debate, okay!

How far could £300,000, for example, go towards delivering a facility like an Arts and Cultural Centre? Something the community could really benefit from?

I personally really like the plans for the Town Hall and have to agree it is arguably the centre piece of out town and could hopefully lead to a bit of regeneration to the Main Street. Arguably this money will go towards providing facilities the town needs.

Here is some more information on CHORD funding

CHORD Funded – Approved budget allocation £1,250,00

• £224,068 - Footway and Kerbs
• £1,505 – Furniture Installation
• £12,365 – Hard Landscaping (Planters)
• £21,500 - Street Furniture (including New Road)
• £28,000 - Street Lighting
• £61,000 - Soft Landscaping (Contractor still to be
appointed awaiting tender returns)
• £60,000 – Esplanade Railings
• £75,000 – Royal Hotel
Total £483,438

As I mentioned this is purely to stifle some debate

[Ship called Dignity]

As I mentioned this is purely to stifle some debate

I see that worked!!! As I said, was purely for debate but didn't work.