A host of community enhancing projects are green lit for PBIP funding by Easter Ross Area Committee
A number of projects in Easter Ross are set to share in over £280k worth of Place Based Investment Programme funding after Area Committee Members approved their applications.
The Scottish Government’s Place-Based Investment Programme (PBIP) gave Highland Council £1,963,000 of ring-fenced money for 2021/22 and area distribution of the grant was agreed by Members of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee in September last year.
Easter Ross area received a grant of £280,155, which members agreed to divide between Ward 6 - Cromarty Firth and Ward 7 - Tain and Easter Ross.
The aim of the PBIP is to ensure that all place-based investments are shaped by the needs and aspirations of local communities and accelerate ambitions for place, 20-minute neighbourhoods, town centre action, community led regeneration and community wealth building.
The current grant needs to be contractually committed by 31 March 2022.
At today’s (17 February 2022) meeting of the Easter Ross Area Committee Members approved grants for the following projects:
- A £2,887.64 investment in the Town Centre Fund Shore Road project in Invergordon
- £30,000 in CCTV infrastructure in Alness town centre
- £35,000 in CCTV infrastructure in Invergordon town centre
- £40,000 in a new public convenience provision in Evanton
- £14,948 investment in Teandallon Play Area in Evanton
In addition, today Members agreed to hold £17,319.36 as a contingency for Ward 6 projects.
Members also agreed to support the Tain Streetscape Renewal – a Council-led project which is looking to make streetscape improvements to the High Street. The PBIP investment is specifically for footpath improvements.
Chair of Easter Ross Area Committee, Cllr Fiona Robertson, said: “In terms of where the money is needed right now, we all agree that the Streetscape project in Tain is very much needed.
“Our roads budget has been decimated in recent years and the pavements in Tain really do need a lot of work. We are therefore delighted to approve the grant for the Streetscape project.”
Members did agree that there may be funding available in the very near future which would give the Tain Picture House grant application another chance to apply for funding. Members could not support both that programme and the Streetcape project during this funding round and had to make a choice.