South Islay Development is excited to announce that it has successfully secured a £746, 233 grant from the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital fund. This means that alongside a £250,000 grant received from The Glenmorangie Company's Kildalton Fund, and funding received from Investing in Communities, over £1 million has now been raised towards its £1.4 million project to revitalise Port Ellen Playing Fields in South Islay.

The project plans to breathe new life into this much-loved community space by replacing the old Pavilion building with a new Pavilion encompassing a café, multi-use community function rooms, business and community storage spaces, as well as office space for local organisations and SID. New parking and an access road are part of the plan, as is the relocation of the playpark from the current site closer to the new Pavilion, and the expansion of the existing motorhome site.

The new Pavilion will provide a much-needed community facility for the South of Islay, and indeed the island as a whole. Port Ellen has lost a number of its community facilities in recent times and the new building will provide a thriving facility for all ages, groups and clubs to come together in a welcoming and pleasant environment.

SID believes that the Community Hub will play a pivotal role in providing long-term community recovery from the recent pandemic, connecting the people that require support to a range of facilities and services which promote individual and community wellbeing.

Following extensive community consultation an application was submitted for planning permission in August 2021, and SID hopes that construction work will begin onsite in the first quarter of 2022. In the meantime, SID continues to work alongside their design team, to finalise the overall building design. Work is also ongoing to secure the necessary funding required to fully finance the project.

SID hopes that construction work will begin onsite in May/June 2022.