COMMUNITIES being urged to take ownership of at risk historic buildings and help save them from ruin.
Heritage experts say that members of the public need to come onboard and help restore historic properties in their neighbourhoods or face losing them.
There are currently 2,450 buildings on Historic Environment Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register, but more than 1,700 have been saved and brought back into use through restoration.
Now experts from Dumfries House and officials from the Prince’s Regeneration Trust's (PRT) BRICK educational programme will hold a workshop setting out the steps community groups can take to develop their own projects.
The seminar will take place in the recently restored New Cumnock Town Hall in East Ayrshire.
New Cumnock Town Hall was originally built in 1888 and was used as a town hall throughout its life up until early 2005 when it was closed by the local authority.
It then fell into disrepair, and in 2014 it was ear marked for demolition as it was beyond economical repair. In 2015 East Ayrshire Council agreed to pass ownership of the town hall to The Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust.
The PRT has been active in Scotland for a number of years, advising on the restoration of historic buildings to stop them falling into disrepair.
Its first project saw the restoration and adaption of part of the huge Stanley Mills complex in Perth, a Category ‘A’ listed site of water-powered cotton mills beside the River Tay
The Mill once employed more than 800 people but closed in 1989 and was subsequently badly vandalised and became derelict.
In 1995 it was saved from demolition and taken into care by Historic Scotland with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
The PRT bought two mills from Historic Scotland in 1997 and embarked on a £7m project to turn them into residential blocks, completed in 2000.
The charity is also involved in smaller projects, such as helping save workers' cottages in Caithness.
The properties in Castletown were used by quarrymen from the 1890s until the 1950s, and were restored the cottages as part of the North Highlands Initiative.
They are now used as meeting rooms and let out as holiday homes when not in use.
Gordon Neil, Development and Facilities Manager, The Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust, said: “The heritage-led regeneration in the village of New Cumnock really has been transformational for the community.
"The involvement of the local community groups have been key to the restoration of the town hall, but what has been most impressive is the real community spirit that has been harnessed and has been at the heart of all the work.
"Without the support and enthusiasm of the local people this development would not have been nearly as successful as it is.”
Speakers will include Gordon Mann, who will give delegates an insight into the regeneration of Shambellie House in New Abbey, Dumfries, and Diane Gray from the Heritage Lottery Fund Scotland.
Laura Norris, Programme Director of BRICK said: “Community groups play a pivotal role in taking on the revival of these important local assets and there is an urgent need to equip them with the right skills to do so."
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