The Dunoon Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (Dunoon CARS) works with property owners, providing grants to support building repairs with the aim of safeguarding historic properties and enhancing the town’s visual appearance via the use of traditional construction materials and techniques.

The programme is a partnership, funded by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and Argyll and Bute Council, with a cumulative value of £1.9m, £1.6m of which is available via grants to property owners.

It is currently in its fourth year although, due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, a three-month project extension has been agreed with HES.

Eleven shopfront grants were awarded and repair and restoration work at three properties - Bookpoint, Kent’s of Dunoon and Gibson’s Electrical - has now completed. Three further grants have been made for work on Girard’s Jewellers, Right Medicine Pharmacy and The Beauty Box.

Four small repair grants for properties in the town’s Argyll Street were awarded and work has now completed on these with a further two tenement repair projects scheduled to start shortly.

Various training initiatives and public events have also been held to complement the wider work of the programme. These have included information sessions on the repair and maintenance of traditional buildings and shopfronts and a visual merchandising event for business owners to explore ideas for store design and window displays and visual merchandising.

People shared their memories of Dunoon at an open day and an exhibition celebrating the shopkeepers of Argyll Street, staged in partnership with Castle House Museum and Architecture Fringe, proved extremely popular with local people.

A highly successful course promoting traditional building skills was also held as part of a partnership between HES, Argyll College UHI, Dunoon Grammar School and Developing the Young Workforce.

Six Dunoon Grammar School students worked on an outbuilding within the grounds of the Burgh Hall, with the help of local contractor, John Browne (Strone). The students worked on modules including design/architecture, stone masonry, carpentry and joinery, and painting and decorating. On completion, five students received qualifications.

The Rothesay Townscape Heritage programme, meanwhile, is funded by National Heritage Lottery Fund (NHLF), HES, the council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), LEADER, and through Smarter Choices Smarter Places. Two million pounds from the total fund is being made available to property owners through the offer of grant support.                          

Progress of the project over the last year includes: 

• A full-scale restoration of the classic shopfront of the Electric Bakery, Montague Street earlier this year. (A second restoration at DC Murray & Co in Argyle Street is currently on site and due for completion shortly).
• The award of three window repair grants as part of a drive to support property owners who wish to refurbish traditional sash and case windows or replace modern plastic windows with timber
• Refurbishment of a large-scale tenement at 73-77 Victoria Street
• Major restoration and repairs to the roof and ironwork of the category ‘A’ listed, Isle of Bute Discovery Centre.

Alongside the main programme, various training initiatives and events have also been held to celebrate the heritage and culture of Bute including, sessions for school pupils to learn about common building problems and the importance of maintenance, workshops for homeowners on repair and maintenance of timber windows and an audio tour which highlighted the hidden delights of Rothesay. 

The lockdown measures introduced by the government as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the construction element of the project being temporarily stalled. However, HES and NLHF have agreed an extension which means the project will now run until 31st March 2023. 

Councillor Bobby Good, chair of Bute and Cowal area committee, said: “We’ve seen excellent progress over the past year on the Dunoon CARS project as part of the council’s work to enhance the town’s appearance, celebrate its heritage and support its economic recovery.

“Clearly, like all towns and cities across Scotland, Dunoon has been impacted by the pandemic. This project has an important role to play in the year ahead to tackle the challenges which lie ahead and assist the town’s ongoing economic recovery.”

Councillor Good added: “The Rothesay Townscape Heritage project is an important element in the council’s ongoing work to ensure that the town is an attractive place in which to live, work, visit and invest by enhancing and regenerating the area’s historic buildings. 

“Clearly, the pandemic has had a widespread impact across Scotland and this project will play a critical part in the wider drive to support Bute’s economic recovery as we hopefully begin to emerge from this difficult period in the coming year.”