Inverkeithing is celebrating a major slice of a £4.4 million funding boost from Historic Environment Scotland.
The Fife town will receive £1,007,700 for building repairs, town centre improvements and projects to develop the town’s tourism potential.
The funding is being made available as part of the eighth round of the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS), which directs funding to town centres which might benefit from heritage-led redevelopment.
Hawick, Lochgilphead and Mauchline are receiving £1,314,800, £969,700 and £1,119,800 respectively.
Inverkeithing’s A-listed town house is in line for an upgrade to help make it accessible for the whole community.
A grants scheme will support repairs to other listed and historic properties.
The town square will be revitalised, and the Mercat Cross transported from its current location on the corner of Bank Street and Queen Street to the heart of the town.
The windfall will also enable training for contractors, advisers and owners.
Fife Council’s south and west Fife committee convener, SNP councillor Alice McGarry, said: “This is very good news for Inverkeithing and its regeneration.
“It reflects the positive and constructive input taken on board from local people and groups in Inverkeithing while the application was developed.
“It also represents a major step forward in starting to realise local people’s vision for the town as expressed in the Imagine Inverkeithing community masterplan developed last year.
“People wish to see new investment, jobs, and diversifying the local economy, while protecting and enhancing our built and natural heritage.”
Inverkeithing is also pursuing National Lottery funding for its regeneration ambitions.
Fife’s economy, tourism, strategic planning and transportation convener, Labour councillor Altany Craik said that like many towns, Inverkeithing had to contend with a range of negative market forces and needed investment to tackle its ageing building stock.
“To have a sustainable future the town needs to evolve and improve its offer to attract both locals and visitors,” he said.
“The town’s heritage and history is underplayed, but given its location on the Fife Coastal Path and Pilgrims Way, proximity to the Forth Bridges and Edinburgh, and its major transport links, Inverkeithing has the potential for step change through heritage led regeneration, and this funding can enable that to happen.”
Since its inception, £43m has been awarded to communities across the country through CARS, resulting in more than 140 new businesses and more than 460 jobs created in areas of high unemployment.
HES chairwoman Jane Ryder said: “One of the great merits of the CARS scheme is that it is locally led and allows local authorities to invest in priority properties they have identified and help communities to unlock the potential of their historic assets.”
Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop said the funding contributed to towns’ social fabric and community cohesion and boosted the economy.
