A performance area in Kirkcudbright is set for a makeover.
The existing stage in Harbour Square has reached the end of its life and the town’s development trust is set to create a bigger and better one.
Members of the town’s common good fund committee have agreed to the long-term lease of the land needed for the stage for the nominal fee of £1.
A report for the latest meeting of the committee revealed that the existing timber performance area is no longer fit for purpose and the trust is planning a “long lasting and aesthetically pleasing alternative”.
Nearly £100,000 worth of funding has been secured for the new structure which would feature a canopy and removable sides to ensure events can take place in poor weather.
The trust’s business plan also pointed out it would extend the tourist season as events could take place earlier and later in the year than they do currently.
If a lease is agreed and planning permission is secured, it is hoped work would begin in April and take place in two phases, totalling around five weeks.
Once complete, the stage will be leased to Kirkcudbright Summer Festivities for a nominal sum, with groups using it asked to make a donation – allowing organisations with no income to use it for free.
And it is hoped a covered stage will attract younger visitors to the town as it will allow events such as early evening music and drive-in movies to be held.
Further approval is required from the council’s finance, procurement and transformation committee while the new stage is currently the subject of a planning application.
