East Lothian Council has announced that the Dunbar Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) is now open for applications for local providers of traditional skills training to run courses in 2024/5 and 2025/6.

CARS is a partnership between the Council and Historic Environment Scotland (HES) that aims to assist with the regeneration of the historic town centre of Dunbar. This is done through appropriate repair of traditional buildings and delivery of conservation-based training activities for building contractors, professional agents and the wider community.

Traditional buildings, generally those built before 1919, make up around 20% of Scotland's dwellings, and the appropriate skills needed to work on these buildings are in decline. This means that traditional buildings are often repaired in an inappropriate manner, which can accelerate the deterioration of the historic fabric and often cause irreversible damage which can be costly to rectify.

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The aim of this round of funding is to support organisations to develop their capacity for teaching valuable skills – such as stonemasonry, traditional roofing and metalworking – and encourage participation and upskilling in conservation-based building techniques within the local community. Proposals must focus on initiatives that encourage an increase of traditional building skills and provide a pathway to formal qualifications or employment where possible.

The application stage is now open with a submission deadline in mid-January 2024. Proposals are sought from any organisation that plans to deliver formal training related to traditional building repairs. The fund will support successful proposals through the awarding of grants of up to £100,000 covering a 2 year period.

In 2024 Dunbar CARS will also launch funding for individuals in the Dunbar and East-Linton ward who wish to attend traditional skills training events or activities on a formal or informal basis or work towards conservation qualifications and accreditations.

A complimentary series of events and activities will also be developed and delivered to enhance the knowledge of appropriate building repairs for property owners and increase the awareness of the historic built environment within the community.

Interested parties should email [email protected] and request an application pack.