Published on:
30
November 2023
The Council has been allocated £310,000 for this financial year from the Scottish Government’s Place Based Investment Fund (PBIF).
And at a meeting of the Council earlier today Councillors agreed that five projects should be funded from this allocation.
Council heard more about the projects to be funded - the Carsebridge Cultural Campus, Menstrie Cycle Path lighting, Menstrie Active Travel Orientation Improvements, the paths and park at Tillicoultry Primary and new cycle facilities at Clackmannan.
The Carsebridge Cultural Campus, which is a Resonate Together project, has been awarded £96,500, to help with their project.
Resonate Together have recently acquired Harvey House and Ochil House in the Carsebridge area of Alloa, close to Gartmorn Dam thanks to support from the Scottish Land Fund.
They intend to develop the buildings into a ‘Cultural Campus’ where they can accommodate their community members as well as promote Clackmannanshire’s arts and heritage.
Menstrie Cycle Path Lighting has been granted £82,500 to install lighting columns on the active travel route along the path from Hazel Avenue in Menstrie Mains estate to the junction with NCN768 that links the town with Tullibody.
The lighting will make the route safer and more attractive for all and will help deliver on the aims of the Connectivity Masterplan.
Menstrie Active Travel Orientation Improvements has been granted £11,000, to improve visitor infrastructure in the town. This will see more directional signs around Menstrie, an interpretation board installed at Menstrie Train Station and more seating.
This also aligns with the Connectivity Masterplan.
This project to develop and improve the parklands adjacent to both Tillicoultry Primary School and Firpark Ski Centre has been awarded £110,000.
The park has a poor quality circular path that is difficult to navigate. This project will improve the greenspace with planting and more biodiversity, widen the path, making it accessible to wheelchairs, and improve the connections into the parkland.
The cycle project in Clackmannan was funded by Council in last year’s PBIF allocation with a grant of £79,900 including contingency. This, with a grant of £50,000 from Sportscotland, gave the project a budget of £129,900.
Since then tenders for the project have come back over the original budget and this latest allocation of £10,000 will help make the project viable.
Each project, apart from the Clackmannan cycle project, which is a top-up, has a 10% contingency applied to build in flexibility.
Councillors also heard that if there is an underspend in the overall allocation then the funds will be put towards the Council’s playpark replacement programme.
Councillor Ellen Forson, leader of the Council, said: “I am delighted to see these five projects are to be funded through our PBIF allocation.
“These projects will improve our communities and deliver clear and lasting benefits to residents of all ages right across Clackmannanshire by the end of March 2025.”