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Third time lucky for HMS Tern and Stromness Creative Hub projects in funding bids?

The applications for funding through the regeneration fund to be viewed by councillors.

Stromness
The control tower at HMS Tern. Image used with permission from the Birsay Heritage Trust.

Funding is being sought for projects which would help a World War 2 airfield cater to visitors and bring new life to a former post office in Stromness.

Councillors in Orkney will view two separate applications for funding for the projects this week.

The Birsay Heritage Trust is asking for £760,000 from the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund for the regeneration of HMS Tern, also known as RNAS Twatt.

The project would see the rebuilding of a historic Nissen Hut Cinema at the airfield, which is located at Twatt, in Orkney’s West Mainland.

There would also be other improvements made to make it more suitable for visitors.

This includes improving access to the site, repairing other structures, and creating visitor facilities such as toilets.

Better visitor facilities

Facilities for motorhomes, camping and visitor accommodation would also be created.
The total cost of the project is estimated to be £1,665,000.

According to the trust, the remaining cost would be met from a wide range of other sources.

However, the biggest portion of this funding by far would come via the regeneration capital grant fund.

The Birsay Heritage Trust are also hoping to install low-carbon, sustainable power sources as well. This would take the form of solar panels, wind turbines, heat pumps, and “sustainable waste disposal.”

The trust applied to the regeneration fund during the last two rounds but was unsuccessful both times.

This was because the council felt it wasn’t a regeneration project.

However, the trust has taken this feedback on board with this third application.

The second project vying for support through the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund is from the Pier Arts Centre, in Stromness.

They are hoping to turn the currently derelict former post office building on Victoria Street, Stromness, into a creative hub.

They are asking for £1,608,000 from the regeneration fund to help with the project.

The hub would provide spaces for learning, for use by the community, schools, students as well as professional and amateur artists.

Artistic activities would be held for locals and tourists alike.

Stromness creative hub

It would also provide short-term residential facilities for artists and performers.
The project would see the former post office partially demolished.

As with the project at HMS Tern, the money through the council’s regeneration fund would only cover part of the cost of the project.

The total cost for the creative hub is put at £4,288,857.

The Pier Arts Centre also applied to the regeneration fund before.

However, just like the HMS Tern project, they were turned down both last year and the year prior to that.

The creative hub project did make it to stage two of the process last year but was ultimately turned down.

This time, in a report due before councillors later this week, it’s stated that both projects are “highly worthwhile”.

However, it is recommended that the Pier Arts Centre’s creative hub is given priority for funding.

The regeneration capital grant fund is delivered through the council, Scottish Government and COSLA working together.

The applications will be viewed by Orkney Council’s community development fund sub-committee on Thursday.

Conversation