Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has announced almost £4 million to support delivery-phase regeneration in Girvan, Govan and Tarbert through its Heritage and Place Programme.

The awards allocate £1,473,576 to Girvan, £1,500,000 to Govan and £999,997 to Tarbert, enabling area-based schemes that will work with local communities to repair and reuse historic buildings and share their heritage with residents and visitors. Each location will also benefit from recent investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Heritage and Place Programme is designed to create vibrant, sustainable places by prioritising the repair and adaptive reuse of historic buildings, boosting traditional skills via training, and putting heritage at the centre of place-making.

In Girvan, South Ayrshire Council's 'Girvan's Story' will explore the town's heritage through place, people and lived experience. Girvan's tradition of weaving, shoemaking, fishing and boatbuilding—shaped in part by its connection to Ailsa Craig—will be celebrated. Training in traditional skills such as stonemasonry, joinery and lime-based plastering will be delivered, with local providers and contractors offering pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship routes, accredited short courses, workshops and hands-on learning during capital works. A partnership with Girvan Academy will give pupils site visits, live demonstrations and taster sessions.

Glasgow City Council's 'Govan Heritage' scheme focuses on the Govan Conservation Area and the A-listed Graving Docks, including the landmark Pumphouse, building on the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme completed in 2025. It intends to bring back into use buildings with strong community ties, such as the long-vacant Lyceum Cinema, and enhance the A-listed Govan Old Church to better present the 9th-century Govan Stones.

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The Govan scheme aims to generate a virtuous cycle of local renewal by creating income-generating, community-owned assets that support further investment and long-term growth. Community heritage activities launched during development will continue alongside building regeneration to leave a lasting legacy of sustainability.

Argyll and Bute Council's Tarbert Heritage Regeneration Scheme underlines the climate risks facing the coastal village and the need for sustainable management. With heavier rainfall and more frequent extreme weather events, caring for the village's buildings and landmarks—especially the historic harbour—must happen more often and at greater cost. The programme will conserve buildings and shopfronts, run heritage-focused community activities, and train homeowners and contractors to expand local traditional skills. HES funding will help Tarbert increase maintenance cycles, upskill its workforce and safeguard its built heritage.

Dr Susan O'Connor, Head of Grants at Historic Environment Scotland, said: "Our Heritage and Place Programme is one of the key ways community-led regeneration of Scotland's historic environment can take place. The programmes in Tarbert, Govan and Girvan all have traits in common, as they focus on revitalising historic buildings in disrepair, but they are also tailored to their unique history and community – from Girvan's past of traditional skills, to Govan's iconic Pumphouse, to Tarbert's fishing heritage.

"We are proud to invest in the people and places that make Scotland's historic environment so distinctive. The regeneration of these areas will help ensure they continue to evolve in ways that reflect what the community want and need – creating sustainable places to live and work, surrounded by their unique historical context."

Councillor Alec Clark, Depute Leader and Policy Lead for Commercial/Operational Services whose remit covers tourism for South Ayrshire Council, said: "This is great news! The funding of over £1.4m from Historic Environment Scotland means the Girvan's Story Project is now a reality. Together with a significant contribution from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we can now continue working with the local community to protect Girvan's landmark buildings and ensure traditional skills are not only retained but become key employment opportunities."

Councillor Ruairi Kelly, Convener for Built Heritage, Development and Land Use at Glasgow City Council, said: "The ongoing and successful regeneration of Govan over the past decade was led by investment into the improvement of the area's outstanding built heritage. This new investment will build on this success, and other recent developments such as the Govan-Partick Bridge and the work to transform the Govan Graving Docks, and further drive Govan's regeneration."

Leader of Argyll and Bute Council, Councillor Jim Lynch, Policy Lead for Economic Development, Housing, Islands and Communities, said: "I am delighted that we have been successful in securing this funding from Historic Environment Scotland. Tarbert is known and loved as one of our most vibrant, coastal communities and like many of these communities, made more vulnerable by climate change. This funding will support local homeowners and tradespeople to develop the skills and knowledge to conserve and safeguard its heritage. We are planning a range of activities to bring the community together and increase the village's appeal for both residents and visitors.

"I look forward to seeing this project bring lasting benefits for people across the area – now and for future generations."