Fife Council and Rural Skills Scotland (RSS) have successfully secured almost £500,000 from the Scottish Government's Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP) to help develop the Ravenscraig Skills Hub.

This is in addition to the £90,000 Fife Council has already agreed to give to the project. Approval of a further £60,000 was agreed by the Kirkcaldy Area Committee at its meeting held on Tuesday (7 February) and is in addition to the £30,000 it had previously approved.

The hub sits on a site to the east of the Ravenscraig Walled Garden in Kirkcaldy. It will breathe life back into the former Council Parks Service nursery to become an employment and training hub for 'green jobs' such as environmental, renewable energy and conservation, primarily in the land-based sector.

RSS secured a 20-year lease on the site, which is on Council Common Good Land, back in September last year. It plans to base its National Apprenticeship programme here as well as it's contracting business and employability programme.

Welcoming the news, Convener of the Kirkcaldy Area Committee, Councillor Ian Cameron, said: "This is an excellent example of Community Wealth Building in action. Ravenscraig Park is an important local asset within Kirkcaldy and Dysart much valued by the local community.

"The VDLIP investment will significantly improve what is essentially a long-term derelict section of the Walled Garden. Not only will it enhance the physical appearance of the site, but it will also give local people the opportunity to enjoy the park. And for those interested in this sector, there's the chance to volunteer and gain new skills so they can increase their chance of employment in 'green jobs'.

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"The project will also enhance the experience of users of the adjacent Ravenscraig Walled Garden site which runs to 2.5 hectares. Around 90% of this has been leased since 2012 to the Kirkcaldy Community Gardens & Allotments group which is a community interest company run by its members on a voluntary basis. They manage the whole of the growing area, including almost 60 allotments, and have sub-let an area to Greener Kirkcaldy who have established the Ravenscraig Community Training Garden. This includes a community orchard with over 100 fruit trees and forms part of the broader Kirkcaldy 'Community Food Hub Project'."

Director of Rural Skills Scotland Stewart Christie added: "RSS is a not-for-profit sharing company that directly delivers Apprenticeships and SVQ's across the whole of the country, delivers employability programmes to attract new entrants to the land-based sector, and through our contracting business delivers forestry, estate maintenance, environmental conservation or biodiversity activity. We will initially support 10 full time and 2 part time jobs from the site, and we hope to grow that to 12 full time and four part time through time.

"On-site we're also hoping to invest in renewable energy including roof-based solar PV panels and air-source heat pumps. This would reduce reliance on electricity drawn from the grid at both the workshop and the former Boiler House/tractor shed to the south of the derelict site.

"Longer-term we're considering a site-wide biomass heating system fuelled by the timber extracted from the woodlands we manage. Not only will this provide a sustainable, low-carbon, low-cost alternative to fossil fuels, but it will also provide training and learning opportunities for local people. We're also keen to develop a tree nursery in Fife. The plan would be to start germination and early establishment of the trees from this site, providing further employment, training, and volunteering opportunities. Redundant structures on-site will be demolished, and landscaping/regrading works will be carried out."

Community Wealth Minister Tom Arthur MSP said: "Neglected sites are often found in more disadvantaged settings and can become no-go areas or hamper community development. By targeting long-standing vacant and derelict land we can ensure that investment reaches the areas that need it most, for example supporting rural skills development in Kirkcaldy.

"The Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme helps attract private investment to locations which have lain dormant for years, It also supports low carbon developments, such as renewable energy at the Rural Skills Training Hub, helping Scotland reach net zero by 2045 and grow an economy that is greener, fairer and more prosperous."