Twechar Outdoor Pursuits Centre will soon start to take shape on a site beside the Forth and Clyde Canal – providing a hub for canoeing, kayaking, cycling and more in East Dunbartonshire.

It will also provide a facility for new educational, training and voluntary opportunities – helping to promote regeneration and address disadvantage in the area.

East Dunbartonshire Council has secured significant external support – including funding from the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, sportscotland and others.

Preparatory works are currently taking place to establish the site – led by main contractor Morgan Sindall – and the project will get fully underway in the coming weeks.

Councillor Gordan Low, leader of the council, said: “It’s great to see people on the site, preparing to turn plans into reality. When it’s complete, Twechar Outdoor Pursuits Centre will provide opportunities for a wide range of ages and abilities – for residents of the village and East Dunbartonshire.

“This previously derelict piece of land will become home to an innovative facility with community involvement at its heart. I look forward to seeing it progress in the coming months.”

Work has taken place with Twechar Community Action (TCA), which manages Twechar Healthy Living & Enterprise Centre and has been central to the transformation of Twechar over two decades.

A marketing exercise was undertaken during the summer of 2021 which concluded with TCA being identified as the proposed tenant.

TCA company secretary Sandra Sutton said, “We’re delighted to see activity on-site – the culmination of many years of work and determination, beginning initially with our own Twechar Youth Group. Exciting times are ahead.”

The project was granted planning approval in March and is part of the council’s Capital Programme for 2024/2025.

The development site is owned by the council and sits adjacent to the Forth and Clyde Canal, just off Main Street – at the northern entrance to Twechar. The project is expected to cost just over £5.6 million – more than half of which will be externally funded.

Stuart Parker, managing director of Morgan Sindall Construction Scotland, said: “We are extremely proud to commence work on Twechar Outdoor Pursuits Centre, which is the second leisure facility that we’ll deliver for East Dunbartonshire Council via the Scape Scotland framework.

“As we begin work over the coming weeks, the previously derelict site will be transformed into a local hub for cycling, kayaking, canoeing and more for the whole local community to enjoy.”

The council is working with a number of partners on the project, including:

• SCAPE Scotland – the framework procurement route through which the contractor has been appointed to manage the design and delivery of the new centre via their supply chain. SCAPE Scotland is a public sector procurement specialist, dedicated to creating efficiency and social value via the built environment.
• Morgan Sindall Construction – the main contractor, appointed using the SCAPE Scotland Framework.
• AtkinsRéalis – project management, appointed using the SCAPE Scotland Framework.