AMBITIOUS plans to regenerate Millport Town Hall have received a £15,000 boost.

A range of community groups and partners have come together to set up a charity with the aim of turning the building - which has been closed since 2015 - into a community hub.

Funding for the project has already been secured from sources including North Ayrshire Council and the Scottish Land Fund, with a fresh injection of over £15,000 from North Ayrshire Ventures Trust.

The Trust is a grant helping to develop community enterprises and this funding will help pay for architectural costs.

Angie McCallum, of the charity behind the Millport Town Hall plans, said “This is fantastic news and we really appreciate this support.

“The council’s community investment fund has already committed £200,000 to supporting phase four of the project which would see the charity take ownership of the town hall.

“We are grateful for an extension of the original deadline for this funding which has been necessitated by the delay caused by COVID -19.”

The Ventures Trust grant is part of over £80,000 secured by the group to complete phase three of the regeneration.

Plans for the building include a heritage centre, culture centre, community hub and a letting space to provide a revenue stream for the building.

Councillor Louise McPhater, cabinet member for budgeting and chair of North Ayrshire Ventures Trust, welcomed the news.

She said: “The work being carried out to regenerate Millport Town Hall is absolutely fantastic and a shining example of how Community Wealth Building can work in practice.

“It is a fantastic example of communities coming together and working with anchor organisations like the Council to make a difference.

“It is great to see that they are accessing a range of funding streams – including this latest one from NAVT – to move forward.”

It is hoped that the project could be complete by 2022 – which would see Millport Town Hall run by the community for the community.