A project to breathe new life into the historic heart of Maybole has taken a step forward after landing significant backing. The Heritage Lottery Fund and South Ayrshire Council are making funding available to help reinvigorate the town centre.
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) recently announced investment of just under £2million from its Townscape heritage programme, as part of a £17m programme of grants across the UK. Of this an initial £329,900 is being made available for a development grant. South Ayrshire Council has also committed £50,000 towards the development costs with Ayrshire LEADER and the North Carrick Community Benefit Company both contributing £25k.
Maybole’s Outstanding Conservation Area was designated in 1974 and there are now more than 40 listed buildings in the town centre. When the new town bypass opens in 2020 it is forecast that the volume of cars travelling through the town centre will drop by 50% and HGVs by up to 95%, making the current grant a timely contribution to Maybole’s changing landscape.
Maybole Community Council’s regeneration project aims to create an attractive, safe and sustainable town centre for the town. It will focus on a section of High Street running from the Castle to the Speakers Club. Councillor John McDowall, South Ayrshire Council’s Portfolio Holder for Sustainability and Environment said, “We’re at the start of a really exciting chapter for Maybole, with dozens of historic buildings set to benefit from this project.
“An approach to the Heritage Lottery Fund was identified as one of the priorities at our Talk Maybole event in 2015, and I’m pleased to see that the idea’s enjoyed early success.
“The Council looks forward to working with the Community Council in the development phase which will refine the detailed plans for heritage works in Maybole.”
Mark Fletcher, Chair of Maybole Community Council said, “This is great news for Maybole and it’s a further step towards an exciting future for our town.
“The community has been at the forefront of this development and we look forward to working with South Ayrshire Council to build on this success.”