Work is to begin on a £500,000 town centre refurbishment project in Campbeltown.

A total of six business premises and 13 flats will be revamped on 22-30 Main Street and 2-8 Longrow, with eight vacant flats also being brought back into use. Work will start on Monday, 30 April and is expected to last six months.

Features include replacing the main roof of the building, chimney and lead repairs, extensive stone repairs and replacing the rear amenity deck that is the cause of damp in some of the commercial units.

The development is the fourth and biggest project of the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS), which has secured £10m for the regeneration of Campbeltown. Property owners have contributed over £100,000 towards the scheme, while a Private Sector Housing Grant provides over £140,000 and over £380,000 comes from CARS funds.

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An Owners Association established by property owners will maintain the property following completion of the work.

Cllr Aileen Morton said: "This investment is all about working in partnership with local people and businesses to provide the homes and work premises Campbeltown needs.

"Work already carried out through the CARS programme and other investment schemes has transformed the town. This new work builds on regeneration that has seen the pontoons and harbour developed as tourism and business resources, the town hall and cinema revitalised as leisure and cultural facilities - these are optimistic times for Campbeltown."

George McMillan, Chair of the Owners Association, said: "Council officers from Housing Services and CARS have been helping us to develop this project for almost four years.  There have been many hurdles to overcome and without their continued support we would never have reached this stage.

"With projects such as this there is a lot of work in the background including; securing approval and funding from all owners, appointing a Design Team, completing forms, overcoming issues.

"We are all looking forward to having the external fabric of our building fully repaired and contributing to the on-going regeneration of the town."

(LM/MH)