Six major regeneration and transport projects across Scotland are
set to receive almost £122 million from the third round of the UK
Government’s Levelling Up Fund - a multi-billion-pound initiative
improving lives for local people.
The UK Government has today announced a total of £1 billion to
support 55 projects across Great Britain from the Levelling Up
Fund. Proposals for Moray, North and South Ayrshire, South
Lanarkshire, Glasgow, Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish
borders have each been awarded a share of the flagship fund,
which will see upgrades to their town centres, high streets and
local transport.
Scotland will receive the second highest award given to any
single project in this round - a significant £37.4 million to
create new commercial buildings, better cycling and walking
routes and more electric vehicle charge points across North and
South Ayrshire.
Levelling Up Secretary said:
“Levelling up means delivering local people’s priorities and
bringing transformational change in communities that have, for
too long, been overlooked and undervalued. Today we are backing
55 projects across the UK with £1 billion to create new jobs and
opportunities, power economic growth, and revitalise local
areas. This funding sits alongside our wider initiatives to
spread growth, through devolving more money and power out of
Westminster to towns and cities, putting in place bespoke
interventions to places that need it most, and our long-term plan
for towns.”
Other projects being funded:
- In a joint bid across the South of Scotland, over £22.8
million will renovate historic buildings in Annan and Peebles and
improve cycling and walking routes along the Clydesdale Way.
- A fund of £13.7 million will also be invested to improve
transport connectivity in Dumfries and Galloway, including new EV
charging for cars, electric buses, improvements to walking and
cycling routes, and new transport hubs in five towns in the
region.
- In Moray, over £18.2 million will transform the town centre
of Elgin into an attractive urban hub where high-productivity
businesses can thrive.
- Glasgow City Council will receive almost £15 million to
invest in Drumchapel town centre, improving connectivity into and
around the town to improve retail opportunities and boost the
local economy.
- And in South Lanarkshire, £14.6 million will regenerate the
Shawfield National Business District to prepare the site for
future development, as well as the nearby Polmadie Burn so the
Glasgow Riverside Innovation District Campus can be relocated
there, boosting employment and education for the community.
Scottish Secretary said:
“It’s fantastic news that these six locally developed projects in
north, central and southern Scotland have been given the
go-ahead. Sharing £122 million UK Government funding, they
will transform communities through improvements such as better,
greener transport infrastructure and connectivity, regeneration
of buildings and land and creation of education, business
and employment opportunities.
“Our levelling up commitment to communities across Scotland so
far stands at almost £2.7 billion. We are focused on working with
local partners to deliver the change that the country needs to
put the UK on the right path for the future.”
These new investments build on the £343 million already awarded
to Scotland in previous funding rounds, bringing Scotland’s total
Levelling Up Fund to £465 million.
Projects already underway include the restoration of Edinburgh’s
iconic Granton gasholder, a £16 million investment from the first
round of the Levelling Up Fund. The historic
structure, which is at the heart of wider plans to
regenerate the whole waterfront area into a thriving coastal
town, will become a useable centrepiece for the community.
Construction work to improve sustainability and tourism in
Inverness is also kicking off along the River Ness, with the
support of £20 million from the Levelling Up Fund. The three
projects will create a new Castle Energy Centre in Castle Street,
refurbish and preserve the Victorian grandstand in Northern
Meeting Park and improve sporting and events infrastructure at
Bught Park’s grandstand.
Growing the economy and making the long-term decisions to deliver
the change the country needs is a priority for the Prime
Minister.
Earlier this year the UK Government announced two Green Freeports
in Scotland, in the Cromarty Firth and the Firth of Forth, and
two Investment Zones in Glasgow and the North East.
Today the Chancellor has confirmed the Investment Zones programme
in England will be extended from five to 10 years. Alongside
this, the window to claim Freeport tax reliefs in England will be
extended from five to ten years until September 2031.
The UK Government will work with the Scottish government with the
intention of delivering the same extension to Investment Zones
and Freeports in Scotland.
