The Scottish Government has launched a £300,000 scheme for local communities to help design their towns and villages.

The funding is available across two grant initiatives – the Design Charrettes programme and the Activating Ideas Fund.

Grants of around £10,000 to £20,000 are available for the 2016/17 Design Charrette programme and are open for organisations involved with the design, planning or delivery of regeneration projects or new developments.

In addition, around £15,000 in funding is available from the Activating Ideas Fund for any one project which can demonstrate a strong track record of community participation and innovation.

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Minister for Local Government, Kevin Stewart, said the initiative allows local residents to "have their say" on the long-term future of their community.

"This Government is committed to empowering communities and involving them in the planning process," he said. "We have already seen really good examples of this in the few years since the charrettes programme has been running.

"In Maybole, the Community Association and Community Council sourced additional funding to modernise and improve access to the Town Hall gardens. And in Girvan there is a successful plan for a new swimming facility which is due to open in 2017 following the closure of the local pool.

"Bringing communities together with design expertise will enable ideas and proposals to be developed to deliver positive change."

(LM/JP)