Chips are now up for Anstruther as lottery grant helps village regroup

• Anstruther, a popular, picturesque destination for tourists, is looking to fight back from decline. Picture: Ian Rutherford

Now Anstruther, in Fife, is set for a new lease of life as an arts and culture quarter after a major lottery win for the coastal town.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has thrown its weight behind 3 million plans to restore the fortunes of a host of run-down landmarks – with the help of a Radio 1 DJ and one of Scotland's major independent record labels.

Its backers hope it will help Anstruther fight back from the decline of the fishing and agriculture industries in the area in recent years, as well as help persuade local youngsters to stay in the area.

The HLF has awarded almost 1m towards a scheme that will see new live music venues, artists' studios, workshops, new low-cost housing and a community centre.

At its heart will be a new base for the Fence Collective, a group of local musicians who stage the village's Homegame festival.

One cluster of historic buildings – the Hew Scott Hall, St Nicholas Tower and Town Hall – all of which are on Scotland's "danger list" for historic buildings, will be restored and brought back into proper use.

The Victorian former Murray Library building is expected to be transformed into a host of community facilities, office space and a youth centre, while the derelict Masonic Halls will hopefully become affordable housing.

Fence Records founder Kenny Anderson, better known as King Creosote, and Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman, who was brought up in Anstruther, have been involved in talks on the plans.

Ms Bowman said: "This is such wonderful news and great that the wealth of talent in Anstruther is having such a huge investment to develop and nurture that talent. I'm really looking forward to seeing it develop."

Alan Lodge, manager of Fife Historic Buildings Trust, which is co-ordinating the Anstruther Townscape Heritage Initiative, said:

"More people now work in jobs that service the tourist industry and these are low skilled and poorly paid. Residents with low incomes tend to find themselves isolated from opportunities by the area's rural location and unable to find affordable housing in Anstruther."

Colin McLean, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for Scotland, which has awarded Anstruther 945,000, said: "Schemes like this can help turn local economies around."

'ENSTER' FACTS

ANSTRUTHER, the largest of the fishing towns on the East Neuk of Fife, is known locally as "Enster" or "Anster." Once the capital of Scotland's fishing industry, with a history dating back to the 14th century, the town is home to the Scottish Fisheries Museum.

The harbour was once owned by nearby Balmerino Abbey and the monks received salted herring as payments in kind from fishermen for renting out net drying space. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the town was also the home to The Beggar's Benison, a gentlemen's club devoted to "the convivial celebration of male sexuality".

Among its most famous sons is Thomas Chalmers, a mathematician who was one of the key players in the formation of the Free Church of Scotland in 1843.

Smuggling became widespread when import duties rose dramatically in the 18th century.