Almost £20million has been awarded to projects in Inverness in the first round of funding from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund, announced in the Budget by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
And community efforts to buy the only pub on the remote Knoydart peninsula, in the Highlands, were also backed
In total, more than £170m of investment will be ploughed directly into Scottish communities in the first round of awards from the £4.8billion Levelling Up Fund.
In the Highland capital, £19.8m was awarded for the multi-project Inverness Zero Carbon Cultural Regeneration initiative.
It will include money for the redevelopment of Inverness Castle as a tourist destination to “improve its visitor attraction appeal.”
Formerly home to the city’s law courts, the castle is currently being transformed into a tourism hub, in a £16m project, mainly funded from the Inverness and Highland City Region Deal.
There will also be cash for the development of new event infrastructure at the 157-year-old Northern Meeting Park and for the redevelopment of the ageing stadium complex at the city’s Bught Park.
Both projects will include construction of a ground source heat ambient loop to provide low carbon energy.
Under funding announced for community ownership projects, the Old Forge Community Benefit Society was awarded almost £220,000 towards the purchase of the Knoydart peninsula pub.
It was established to secure the pub’s future amid fears it could be bought and turned into houses, stripping the village of jobs and business.
After months of fundraising, the group was also recently awarded £508,000 through the Scottish Land Fund (SLF) to support the purchase and redevelopment of the pub.
Scottish ministers have accused Westminster of bypassing devolution by handing out cash for infrastructure projects in Scotland through the Levelling up Fund.
Kate Forbes, the Scottish Finance Secretary, said the approach meant that “money Scotland would have previously received under the seven-year, EU Structural Fund programmes to spend according to its own needs will now be distributed annually according to a UK Government agenda”.
She added: “This approach potentially leaves Scotland worse off, raises value for money concerns and undermines devolution.”
But Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack, said: “The Budget ushers in an era of real devolution, ensuring money is spent on projects that matter most to people in Scotland.
“From the Knoydart community pub, to Dumbarton town centre and the Granton Gasworks – all these projects will bring real, visible improvements for local communities.”
