Autumn Budget 2021: Which Scottish projects will receive funding?

The Autumn Budget saw £172.7 million allocated to fund projects in Scotland’s communities. We take a look at exactly where the money will go.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled projects north of the Border which will benefit from UK Government funding, in a move which the Scottish Government claimed had bypassed the devolved nations.

Finance secretary Kate Forbes said: "I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Chancellor has pushed ahead with his centralised approach to levelling up, ignoring the views of governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

"It means that money Scotland would have previously received under the seven year EU Structural Fund programmes to spend according to its own needs will now be distributed annually according to a UK Government agenda. This approach potentially leaves Scotland worse off, raises value for money concerns and undermines devolution.”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak delivering his Budget to the House of Commons in London yesterday.

The funding will be allocated through schemes such as the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, which invests in infrastructure which will improve everyday life across the UK – and the £150m Community Ownership Fund, which will help communities purchase and refurbish assets at risk of closure.

Both funds will run for four years. Awards made under the UK Community Renewal Fund, an additional £220m to help local areas prepare for the launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022, will be announced in due course.

Levelling Up Fund

Aberdeen City Centre Master PlanThe project will see the purchase of two vacant interlinked buildings in the city centre to create a destination ‘market’ venue with covered public space, pop-up retail space, food and drink outlets. There will also be major upgrades to the infrastructure and streetscape, including some pedestrianisation.

A Warwick Vase being cleaned at the new-look Burrell Collection.

Funds: £20m

Granton Gas Holder, LothiansThe B-listed Granton gas holder will be restored and reopened as a way of regenerating Granton Waterfront, securing further public and private sector investment of around £1.2bn. The gasometer, which is 252ft wide and 157ft tall, is one of three originally built for the gasworks. It dates back to 1903 and has been used for light shows in recent months.Funds: £16.5m

Westfield Roundabout, FalkirkThe project will alleviate pressures from increased traffic, including building new roads and roundabouts, as well as improved pedestrian/cycle crossings in the busy area.Funds: £20m

Improvements on B714

The scheme is the final stage in improving the road connectivity between North Ayrshire and the rest of Scotland via Glasgow to improve access to job opportunities and encourage business investment in North Ayrshire. The plan would improve the B174 in North Ayrshire at the A78, including a connection to the A737 Dalry Bypass.

Funds: £23.7m

Artizan Shopping Centre, Glencairn House & Connecting, Dumbarton

The failing Artizan Shopping Centre will be transformed into a state-of-the-art library and museum. Active travel improvements will be made to a 3.5-mile stretch between Dumbarton Central Station and town centre.

Funds: £19.9m

AMIDS South, Paisley

The scheme will improve travel links between Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) – a centre for innovation, research and advanced manufacturing – and Paisley, through pedestrian, cycling, public transport and road links. It will improve access to employment and support regeneration of Paisley town centre and business area.

Funds: £38.7m

Pollok Stable and Sawmill, GlasgowA listed stable and sawmill will be transformed into a net zero hydro-powered heritage and community centre with educational activities for visitors. The plans will also include a space for the local community and schools to use flexibly.Funds: £13.1m

Inverness Zero Carbon Cultural Regeneration

The redevelopment of Inverness Castle will improve its visitor attraction appeal, while there will also be development of new event infrastructure at Northern Meeting Park and redevelopment of the Bught Park Stadium Complex. Both projects include a ground source heat ambient loop to provide low-carbon heat energy.

Funds: £19.9m

Community Ownership Fund

Whithorn Re-build: Renewing the Old Town Hall, Dumfries and Galloway

The Whithorn, a Grade-B listed Georgian town hall, will be renewed into a multiple-use museum and arts venue. The building will host a new social enterprise, equipping young people with traditional stonemasonry and joinery skills to restore the building, and showcasing energy efficiency innovation.

Funds: £300,000

New Galloway Town Hall, Dumfries and Galloway

The New Galloway Town Hall will be renewed into an accessible, functional, low-emission space for community use. Funds: £175,000

The Old Forge Community Benefit Society: a community owned pub, HighlandsRenewing The Old Forge, the only public house on the Knoydart Peninsula. Funding will enable applicants to buy the Old Forge, re-engage the community and the tourism sector, re-invest in long-term maintenance issues, and redevelop to get the business running again in a sustainable way.Funds: £219,096

Rannoch Hub, Perth and KinrossA pub and community centre will be established in the Old School, a stone building over 100 years old. Opening a Community Hub and commercial café/bar, providing free business and leisure facilities will encourage local activity and economic development in a socially isolated, remote community.

Funds: £250,000

Callander Visitor Information Centre, Stirling

The Callander Visitor Information Centre will be reopened, to be run by volunteers and self-sustained through retail sales. The project involves purchasing a derelict RBS Bank and investing in the high street. It will support the tourism industry and the wider regeneration of the area.

Fund: £124,843

Other

Extreme E race

Funding will help deliver a ‘green’ formula E race showcasing Hebridean Green Hydrogen to a global audience. Extreme E's proposed off-road race on the Outer Hebrides in 2022 uses electric SUVs to race in remote parts of the world, to highlight the climate challenges faced by different ecosystems. All Extreme E teams feature both a male and female driver in a bid for gender equality.

Fund: Up to £1m

Burrell Collection

Investment will bring “world-class art exhibitions” to the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, which is due to reopen next March following its £68m refurbishment.

Fund: Up to £3m

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