Struggling town centres in Dumfries and Galloway are to be given a welcome financial boost as part of the Borderlands Place Programme.
Gretna, Kirkconnel, Wigtown and Stranraer have been put forward as the initial towns to be taken through the regeneration programme.
A total of £12.75 million has been earmarked from the fund for towns in Dumfries and Galloway, and a further £1.25m will be provided by the council over the term of the 10-year project.
The purpose of the Borderlands Place Programme is to provide financial support to enable towns and town centres to become more economically resilient, through working with communities and making the most of cultural and heritage assets.
The aim is for existing businesses to be safeguarded, new ones attracted, the population sustained with more people of working age, improved job opportunities, and more visitors spending time and money in each town.
A report on the progress made on the programme was presented to a meeting of Dumfries and Galloway Council.
Eighteen towns across the region were assessed on their needs using a number of different indicators, including the effect of Covid on their local economies, and councillors were be asked to approve the first investments in Gretna, Wigtown, Kirkconnel and Stranraer.
Council leader Elaine Murray said: “Our towns have great potential, but in many cases the activities which used to sustain their economies are no longer able to do so.
“The Borderlands Place Programme provides an opportunity for our towns to be repurposed and reinvented using the knowledge of their local communities and working with them to provide solutions.
“Importantly though, it’s not the only game in town.
“Other funding sources are increasingly becoming available and we want to develop projects across our region which can attract investment.”
Depute Leader, Rob Davidson said: “Helping our communities to grow and develop is vital to supporting economic growth.
“We believe that this community-led approach puts people at the heart of decision making about the solutions that the Place Programme can bring to the challenges facing their own
towns.”
