Plans to build a brand new community centre in a Highland town have taken a big leap forward.
Dornoch and District Community Association (Dadca) has been fighting for six years to replace the town’s 170-year-old social club building.
A new site was identified at Meadows Park and its trustees have now agreed to transfer 9% of the land to Dadca, allowing the community organisation to apply for up to £1million Big Lottery funding.
The project had stalled due to legal difficulties preventing the trustees from entering an agreement which is needed to meet Big Lottery guidelines.
But Dadca has recently received formal letters of support from the Dornoch Highland Gathering committee, Dornoch City Football Club and Dornoch Area Community Council.
The development will likely cost about £2million and it is thought that work could start in late 2017 or early 2018.
About 1,400 forms were distributed last week to residents in the IV25 postcode area as part of a third public consultation to approve the decision to transfer ownership of the land.
Local residents were first consulted on the proposals in 2009 and then again on the building’s design in 2013.
The new facility will include a gym, improved parking facilities, a cafe and foyer area and a main hall which can house 220 people for stage events and cater for 150 diners at functions.
Yesterday Dadca chairman William Sutherland said: “We are very grateful for the support of the trustees and the important thing is that they can now progress the project. The two sitting users of Meadows Park are the Highland Games committee and Dornoch City Football Club, and both have been very helpful.
“Dornoch is a growing community and is bucking the trend in the Highlands in that the number of houses is growing. We have had 140 houses either built recently or in the process of being built and there is planning permission for a further 400.
“The social club is a much loved building but not up to 21st century standards. The environmental standards are dreadful and it is not well designed. We now have up to 900 events a year so the building is not up to it.
“Dornoch will gain fantastically from the new community centre.”
Nearly £50,000 was awarded last year by the Big Lottery fund to enable Dadca to appoint an architect to take the project to planning.
A planning application was lodged in October 2014 and permission was granted in February this year.
