Buckie Harbour among recipients of £466,000 investment in Moray communities

By Ross Hempseed

August 11 2022, 10:34 am

Buckie harbour slated for development into an offshore wind operations base for Moray West.

Buckie Harbour, Elgin’s Pinefield Allotment and several other Moray towns are to benefit from a funding boost for community regeneration.

The funding – totaling £466,000 – is being allocated by Moray Council through its Place Based Investment Programme.

Several areas across Moray are earmarked for regeneration, based on individual community needs, some of which will include creating 20-minute neighbourhoods.

Residents of these communities can find everything they need to function daily within a 20-minute walk from home.

Town centres like Lossiemouth, Aberlour, Buckie, Dufftown, Forres and Keith will be improved using £130,000 of the funding.

To show Moray’s commitment to renewable energy production, £121,000 is being allocated to continue developing Buckie Harbour for the ongoing offshore wind project.

Buckie Harbour was chosen by Moray West, an offshore wind farm in the Outer Moray Firth, as its base of operations, which requires modifications to the current site.

Moray West, aiming to be fully operational by 2025, will have 60 wind turbines generating 14.7 megawatts a year for 25 years.

‘We’re seeing action in communities.’

A large portion of the funding – £215,000 – will go towards creating the long-awaited Pinefield Allotment.

First proposed in 2016, the council designated the disused Pinefield playfields in Elgin for redevelopment into an allotment garden, growing more sustainable produce.

The Place-Based Investment Programme aims to help towards the goal of net zero, and driving inclusive economic development whilst tackling inequality.

Pinefield Allotment have progressed after first being proposed in 2016. Picture by Moray Council.

Moray Council leader, Kathleen Robertson, said: “To see all of these projects progress is welcome news, and I’m sure all the communities across Moray benefiting from such significant investment will be delighted.

“With similar levels of funding expected over coming years, I hope to see the continuation of appropriate acquisition of land, repurposing buildings and more, to positively impact our communities.

“It really feels as though we’re seeing action in communities we’ve talked about for a long time now, and I particularly look forward to the next stage of the Town Centre Improvement Plans coming to the committee in October.”