£1.2m for historic Port Glasgow building
INVERCLYDE Council has secured almost £1.2 million to transform one of the oldest buildings in Port Glasgow into a new community hub.
The local authority has successfully bid for funding from the national Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF) for the town’s historic King George VI (KGVI) building, which dates back to the 1700s.
The council has invested £1m to date making the B-listed property wind and watertight in order to preserve it for future generations.
Now the award of just under £1.2m from the RCGF will be used to complete the regeneration of the King Street building and transform it into a community hub featuring meeting rooms, office space and a café.
It will also become the new home for Clune Park Resource Centre allowing the group to relocate from their current base to make it easier for the people right across Inverclyde to access the activities they offer.
Councillor Jim Clocherty, Inverclyde Council’s convener of education and communities, said: “Saving such an old and historic building like this has been challenging but I’m delighted we’ve managed to secure the funding required to not only complete the restoration but to deliver a valuable resource for the people of Port Glasgow and across Inverclyde.
“It will also hopefully drive more people into our town centres at a time when high streets need our support and provide employment and training opportunities while preserving an important piece of local history for future generations.”
The RCGF is delivered in partnership between the Scottish Government and council umbrella group the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla).
As well as the successful KGVI funding, the council also supported local charitable organisation The Inverclyde Shed in securing just over £½m to take on vacant local authority-owned building opposite Greenock’s East India Harbour and turn it into a community workshop.
Full details of the funding announcement can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/news/community-projects-get-gbp-25-million-funding/.