A £4.1m National Lottery grant, over £1m from the European Regional Development Fund and £750,000 from Historic Environment Scotland have put in place the funding needed to get work started.

Designed by Elder and Cannon Architects, the project will see the Pavilion transformed to provide:

Councillor Gary Mulvaney, depute leader of Argyll and Bute Council and policy lead for strategic finance and capital regeneration programme, said: “Argyll and Bute Council has invested and successfully attracted millions of pounds of funding to bring this much loved building back to life.

“The fundraising target was ambitious – it had to be, to deliver a revitalised Pavilion that will be a key attraction for residents and visitors alike.

“The Pavilion will be transformed into a hub for cultural and community use, bringing with it jobs and a new tourist attraction for Bute and the wider area.

“Raising £14m is a fantastic achievement, which has been made possible by the hard work of council employees and our partner, the Rothesay Pavilion charity. Together they have promoted successfully to external funders, our vision of the Pavilion as a driver for economic growth and quality of life on Bute.

“I would like to thank everyone involved in reaching this extremely exciting stage in the transformation of Rothesay Pavilion.”

The new facility is expected to employ over 30 people and attract over 70,000 visits per year.

The contract to begin restoration work on the building is expected to be awarded later this autumn with a view to work starting before Christmas.

End date for completion of the project is July 2019.

Images provided courtesy of Elder and Cannon