LOCAL MSP Joan McAlpine has congratulated the Moniaive Initiative for its success in receiving a share of a Scottish Government fund to support community ownership.
The Initiative has been awarded £56,691 in the latest round of Scottish Land Fund awards, with £700k supporting communities to buy land and buildings.
A commercial unit on Moniaive High Street will be purchased and converted into a charity shop, information point, office space and multi-purpose accommodation for a variety of local clubs and organisations.
The Scottish Land Fund, funded by the Scottish Government, provides grants of up to £1 million as well as practical support to encourage community ownership.
Ms McAlpine has submitted a motion to the Scottish Parliament congratulating Moniaive.
Commenting, Ms McAlpine said:
“I am delighted that Moniaive has been successful in their application, with the whole community now set to benefit from this investment. It comes shortly after the land fund offer to the Midsteeple Quarter community project to transform Dumfries High Street. A few years ago the people of Lochmaben used money from the Scottish Land Fund to buy Castle Loch and the benefits have been extraordinary.
“Community ownership can transform the prospects of a local area, giving people a real stake in their future. Land ownership in Scotland is more concentrated in a few private hands than anywhere else in Europe. The Land Fund initiative by our government seeks to make that fairer by helping transfer land and property back into the hands of the people who live and work on it.
“I hope the success of Moniaive Initiative will encourage others in the South of Scotland to consider how community ownership could benefit them.”
