Ambitious regeneration projects in Elgin town centre to bring long-term empty buildings back into use have been pinpointed as a model for the rest of Scotland to follow.
Extensive demolition work is currently underway at the former Junners buildings on South Street with plans also being prepared for Grant Lodge.
The two landmarks are some of the most prominent empty buildings in Elgin and have both been dormant for nine and 23 years respectively.
During that time there has been little prospect of either of them opening their doors again.
Now the site of the former Junners buildings on South Street is poised to be reinvented as flats, a UHI Moray business enterprise hub as well as new retail units.
Meanwhile, final plans are being prepared to transform Grant Lodge into a food and drink-themed visitor attraction and wedding venue to reinvigorate the east end of the High Street and Cooper Park.
The ambitious vision has caught the attention of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, who recently toured the projects – describing them as “regeneration with purpose” and “a model that can be replicated across Scotland”.
The Press and Journal spoke to the group’s chief officer, Kimberley Guthrie, about why the Elgin regeneration projects have the potential to be industry-leading.
What makes Elgin’s regeneration projects so unique?
Demolition at the former Junners buildings in Elgin will make way for the new UHI Moray campus, retail units with a new courtyard surrounded by flats to be created to the rear.
It’s the mix of uses that Mrs Guthrie believes makes the South Street project have such an exciting future.
She said: “You can see it’s being done with a real purpose. It’s not just taking an empty space and saying ‘let’s fill it with housing’ or ‘let’s fill it with retail’.
“It’s going to be a real mix of housing, retail and business, so it will pull in so many different people from those who will live there, the students, the businesses and the shoppers.
“There’s also going to be some other pedestrian links to other parts of the town centre, which are really interesting.
“It’s the multi-sector approach that is really important for me though. There’s more to our town centres than just getting people to live in them, or just creating more retail.
“We really need to look at how we drive different kinds of traffic to our centres.
“Because town centres aren’t dead, they’re just changing.”
Why reopening Grant Lodge can have wider impact on Elgin
Grant Lodge has been one of the empty buildings in Elgin that has generated most interest and conversation in recent years.
The much-loved Cooper Park landmark has been a fixture in the town for more than 100 years.
However, the former library has been boarded up and abandoned since a fire in July 2003.
Now plans are being drawn up to reinvent the historic 18th Century former home as a visitor attraction with an adjoining café/bar and exhibition space that can be used for weddings.
It’s a project, when combined with the Elgin Town Hall extension, will form a new “cultural quarter” in the Cooper Park area.
Mrs Guthrie said: “Both of these have the potential to bring fresh energy to Cooper Park, which is really such a stunning green space.
“For me, it’s like the town’s garden. We saw during lockdown an increasing use for them. Natural assets, like parks and waterfronts, can be so important.
“There are ways you can open Cooper Park up more to the town centre, simple things like making it easier to get across the A96 with new crossings and removing the fence surrounding the park.
“You’ve already got the museum at that end of the High Street too. You can see how having a new Grant Lodge in that area too could really bring activity to that end of the High Street.”
Why public sector backing is needed to unlock Elgin’s full potential
The key driver for Elgin’s regeneration projects has been funding secured by Moray Council through the Moray Growth Deal, which is backed by both Scottish and UK governments, and the UK Government’s Levelling Up funds.
However, the South Street project is also being backed by principal contractors Robertson as well as UHI Moray’s support for the business and enterprise hub.
It’s a combination of backers that Mrs Guthrie believes has been necessary to overcome that has blocking development for years.
She said: “For projects like this, good collaboration and strong leadership are essential.
“So many times over the years project stall because they do not have that strong leadership.
“You need that combination of funding from the public sector too to overcome a lot of the hurdles the private sector, or an individual developer, maybe couldn’t get over on their own.
“It can be a huge challenge to get through not only the financial hurdles but also the regulatory hurdles, so having the support of a local authority is absolutely critical.
“What I find particularly exciting is the involvement of UHI because they are putting in something sustainable that will grow skills and generate jobs for the future.
“It can have a wider impact on the area too. Once a significant project begins in one area it can give people the confidence to invest in the surrounding area.”
How Elgin regeneration mirrors huge transformation of Dundee waterfront
In recent years the transformation of Dundee’s waterfront has been one of the most dramatic in Scotland.
Large ugly buildings from the 1970s were demolished to make way for the Slessor Gardens and the V&A museum.
Mrs Guthrie sees elements of the huge Dundee changes taking place in Elgin.
She said: “It’s so important to add cultural and leisure assets in our towns, whether it’s getting more people to the new shows that will be coming to Elgin Town Hall or the plans for Grant Lodge.
“Leisure is so important for our town centres now. We are seeing so many things across the country like table tennis centres, darts rooms, things that give buildings a different purpose and bring a different audience into town.
“It’s very important, when you look at Dundee you can see so many exciting things at the waterfront that have created a new public space that can be used for events.
“Making the best use of our public spaces is so important for everyday life, not just for events but just for sitting and enjoying the surroundings.”
Read more from Elgin
- How the St Giles Centre could be key to winning the fight against retail parks: Experts on what the future holds for Elgin town centre
- Why Elgin Town Hall needs support now more than ever after venue was saved from brink of closure
- Where will the 1,600 homes go? When will new primary school open? Big questions answered about the Findrassie housing development
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