A cash boost is set to help a Dumfriesshire-based environmental charity redevelop the town’s Old Church depot site.
Space to Grow, Moffat has been awarded £11,395 for plans to utilise the units that make up its main building to the better benefit of the community.
Jon Hayden, chairman of Space to Grow, Moffat, said: “We have come a long way and are all very excited by this latest stage in our journey.
“We have space to grow food in the outside allotment area, inside space to offer local entrepreneurs and organisations the ability to grow, and volunteering opportunities for individual growth.”
He said the “journey” has already included a rebrand of the former Moffat CAN which operated on the site and setting up an approved new legal constitution. The group has also become a SCIO – a uniquely Scottish organisational set up for charities.
In addition, members had to obtain amendments to a legal agreement with Dumfries and Galloway Council.
The name, Space to Grow, Moffat was chosen by members who felt it reflected the opportunities the organisation offers to the community.
Now they are keen to identify local need so that the buildings can be adapted and used appropriately.
Its main building consists of offices, warehouses and workshops – some of which are currently rented to local businesses.
And members have been working with the region’s new economic and community development agency – South of Scotland Enterprise – on a plan to refurbish all the buildings and make them available to the community.
This is in keeping with the Moffat and Beattock Community Action Plan.
This week SOSE gave grant support to develop options for the future of the main building by creating a design plan and marketing strategy for its redevelopment.
Mr Hayden said: “We are delighted to be supported by SOSE in developing plans for the future of the Old Church Depot site at Annanside, and this grant will help us to work up some
options.
“We are keen to respond positively to both the climate crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Chairman of SOSE, Professor Russel Griggs, who lives in Sanquhar, said: “The potential development of the Old Church depot by Space to Grow, Moffat is a great example of local ambition and it is fantastic to be working with the charity to explore the possibilities of this project for the benefit of the local area.
“We would welcome any community organisations in the south of Scotland to get in contact with us with ideas they believe could unlock the potential of their area.”
