European Structural Funds: A smart, sustainable and inclusive Scotland in Europe

Case Studies : European Regional Development Fund

Knockando Woolmill

ERDF

Funding Received:
£1.1m

Project Duration: 2008 - 2014

Result:
5 full-time, 5 part-time and 12 seasonal jobs created and 3 Historic Scotland Craft fellows.

Where:
Aberlour, Moray

Fund recipients:
Moray Council

Issue:
The long-term future of one of the last surviving district woollen mill companies in upland Scotland.

Background:
Knockando Woolmill was established in Moray in the mid to late 1700s. One of a number of weaving mills in upland Scotland, it was at the heart of the local community for generations. Despite the closure of the majority of mills in the 1930s, Knockando flourished over the years and continued the spinning and weaving tradition well into the 20th century. The resilience of the mill was in part due to the traditional production skills passed from family to family over the centuries and also its place in the local community. In the 1960s fleeces were still being brought to the mill by local farmers to produce blankets, tweed cloth or knitting yarn.

By the latter part of the 20th century the business was in serious decline. Only one loom was still in operation and the buildings on the site had deteriorated badly.

Action:
The Knockando Woolmill Trust was established in 2000 to secure the long-term future of the mill. Over the next few years the organisation raised funds and focused on plans to restore buildings, continuing textile production at the mill, and providing a unique visitor experience.

In 2008 Moray Council approached the European Regional Development Fund with a business proposal to not only restore the site to its original glory, but also transform Knockando Woolmill into a thriving business capable of supporting the local community.

The total project cost was £2.4 million, with £1.1 million provided by ERDF.

Result:
Knockando Woolmill is now a fully operational and successful business, producing a wide range of niche products to markets in Scotland and internationally. The site attracts around 16,000 visitors each year and provides training and development opportunities. To date, Knockando Woolmill has created 10 permanent jobs for the local community - five full-time and five part-time - and more are expected in the summer of 2015.

Knockando Woolmill is also a fine example of the use of European Structural Funds to promote environmental sustainability. Unlike most textile mills, Knockando produces no waste. Every scrap of cloth is used or recycled, from selvedge ends made into clootie rugs to off cuts being made into keyrings. Material swept from the workshop floor is even re-used as bird nesting material, and vegetable waste from the kitchen and garden is composted.

As a community-centred business, local suppliers are used wherever possible and joint projects are regularly set up with local businesses for mutual benefit. The Woolmill will also benefit from the proposed Knockando community mini hydro-electric scheme. The Knockando water power system, which includes the original mill waterwheel, has been restored and will eventually produce electricity at the site.

Further information:
www.knockandowoolmill.org.uk

Loch Carnan Community Windfarm

ERDF

Funding Received:
£2.1 million

Project Duration: 2012-2013

Result:
6.9MW community-owned windfarm generates renewable energy and approximately £1 million revenue per annum for reinvestment.

Where:
South Uist

Fund recipients:
Sealladh na Bienne Moire

Issue:
The local community suffered from unemployment and depopulation issues and there was a need to address this by establishing new schemes to create a steady revenue stream and boost the local economy.

Background:
Stòras Uibhist, a directly elected community-owned company, purchased South Uist Estates in December 2006. The company's ambition was to install a 6MW windfarm in the Loch Carnan area of South Uist, selling power to the national grid and returning substantial revenue to the local community. The plan was to reinvest the money in local development projects to enhance economic activity and boost the area and island GDP. Some of the money would also be used for new environmental improvement projects.

Action:
Undertaking Scotland's largest wholly community owned renewables project: three 2.3MW Enercon turbines, located along 3km of access tracks based at Lochdar Hill Commongrazings.

Result:
Using ERDF money, the company completed Scotland's largest wholly community owned renewables project, with three 2.3MW wind turbines located at Lochdar Hill commongrazings.

The windfarm opened in March 2013 and in 12 months earned over £2 million gross income. The revenue will be used in projects on Eriskay, Benbecula and South Uist delivering social and economic benefits for the wider community.

It has been estimated that the turbines will generate more than £20 million in their lifetime in the local community.

Further information:
www.storasuibhist.com

Orkney Theatre

ERDF

Funding Received:
£1.1 million

Project Duration: 2010 - 2014

Result:
350 seater facility, flexible performance venue.
Wider range and increased number of performances which encourages increased touring into county.

Where:
Orkney Islands

Fund recipients:
Orkney Islands Council

Issue:
To strengthen the local tourism industry by providing a performance venue to attract a higher number of touring companies to the area.

Background:
Orkney has a rich natural and cultural heritage which has long attracted visitors. However the tourist industry had suffered through the absence of a purpose-built performance venue, particularly when large touring companies considered travelling to Orkney to perform. The Pickaquoy centre had hosted a number of large concerts but the site had limited capacity. An opportunity arose when Orkney Islands Council saw the potential to create a multi-purpose performance facility linked to a new secondary school being built in Kirkwall.

Action:
Orkney Islands Council applied for ERDF funds to assist with the project to create the Orkney Theatre, a flexible 350-seater venue forming part of the new Kirkwall Grammar School Complex.

Result:
The new venue has increased the number and range of performances on Orkney. The state of the art facilities now attract a range of different arts and theatre companies, enabling them to take their performances to island audiences. The venue is managed by the Arts Theatre Committee, a voluntary body supporting and including theatre user groups in the community.

The ability of the local community to experience quality theatre without leaving the island has reduced levels of social exclusion previously felt by Orkney residents with an interest in the performing arts. The first show at the Orkney Theatre was a fundraising concert for Multiple Sclerosis which took place on 17th January 2014. This was followed in February by a professional performance of Cats by the local operatic society.

The new theatre will host the Scottish Finals of the Scottish Community Drama Association One Act Play Festival in 2015.

Scapa Flow Wartime Trail

ERDF

Funding Received:
£263,000

Project Duration: 2009 - 2013

Result:
Promotion of Orkney as an internationally renowned centre for wartime heritage.
Contributes towards and supports local economic growth.
Network of visitor attractions which are unique in the European context.
New products and services for the local tourism industry.

Where:
Orkney Islands

Fund recipients:
Orkney Islands Council

Issue:
The need to pull together individual tourist attractions to maximise the social and economic benefits to the local community.

Background:
Scapa Flow, the Royal Navy base in both World Wars and home to thousands of servicemen and women, has the largest concentration of World War built heritage in the United Kingdom. The various monuments and sites were, until recently scattered across a large area with no connecting paths and few information points. The Scapa Flow Wartime Project was developed to improve links between the monument sites and also to create a central access point, housing many of the monuments themselves.

Action:
The project used ERDF funding to develop an extensive network of new access paths and also improve existing pathways, enabling visitors to access the best of Scapa Flow's coastal wartime heritage. It also created an extensive network of new on-site interpretation and information signs, including interpretation of the Ness Battery, Stromness, a focal point of the Scapa Flow Wartime Trail. The site is unique in Scotland, with intact accommodation barracks, a canteen and officers' quarters. It provides a unique insight into the life of servicemen living in Orkney during the war years.

Result:
The project has developed a network of visitor attractions unique in Europe. By integrating existing wartime sites, the project highlights Orkney's role during the World Wars and as an internationally renowned centre for wartime heritage.

The work has significantly boosted the local economy by using and improving existing infrastructure.

Whitlawburn Community Energy

ERDF

Funding Received:
£2.3 million

Project Duration: 2013 - Ongoing

Result:
Low carbon community heating, providing tenants with lower heating bills and improved heating control.
Lifetime carbon savings of 48,600 Tonnes of CO₂.

Where:
South Lanarkshire

Fund recipients:
West Whitlawburn Housing Co-operative

Issue:
Provision of a combined heat and power community heating scheme to reduce fuel poverty in one of the most deprived areas in Scotland.

Background:
Whitlawburn is listed on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivations (SIMD 2009) as one of the 5% most deprived parts of Scotland. Of the 644 properties run by the West Whitlawburn Housing Cooperative, 543 are multi-storey and tenement flats. Fuel poverty has been a major issue for the local residents, with many properties equipped with expensive electric panel and storage heating systems and unable to have gas heating installed due to their construction type.

Action:
The tenant-operated West Whitlawburn Housing Co-operative developed the Whitlawburn Community Energy project to address the fuel poverty issue. The project built a new energy centre providing domestic heat and hot water to 543 local households via a biomass-fuelled district heating network. A boiler is used to heat water in the tank and this is circulated to each of the properties through a network of pipes.

The project also provided an advice and training programme for tenants, raising awareness of the technology being used and giving them responsibilities to raise awareness about the scheme and its environmental credentials.

Result:
The project has made a real difference to the fuel poverty issue for the people of Whitlawburn, and has enabled them to set up and run a scheme to directly improve their quality of life. It has also positively addressed local and national issues including affordable warmth, climate change, sustainable growth and community empowerment.

The 543 properties were converted from electrical storage and panel heating systems to low carbon, renewable community heating, providing tenants with lower heating bills, improved heating control, and reduced levels of fuel poverty. Tenants are now benefiting from an average reduction in heat and hot water costs of 20%.

The project is also making a significant contribution to targets for reducing carbon emission and is forecast to provide lifetime carbon savings of 48,600 tonnes of CO₂ , equivalent to saving 2,500 tonnes of carbon per annum.

Further information:
www.energy.whitlawburncrc.org.uk

Mountains for People

ERDF

Funding Received:
£241,000

Project Duration: 2009 - 2014

Result:
51km of upland path restored across Arran, Glencoe and Torridon.
34.5 direct full time equivalent jobs created
More than 80 volunteer opportunities.
630 opportunities for raising awareness of conservation needs of the 3 areas.

Where:
Torridon, Glencoe and Arran

Fund recipients:
National Trust for Scotland (NTS)

Issue:
To fully restore and conserve 50 kilometres of mountain paths in Torridon, Glencoe and Arran.

Background:
The Mountains for People (MFP) project formed the final phase of a ten-year process to create a strategic path network across the Scottish mountains by fully restoring and conserving 424km of mountain paths in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. The MFP project focused on restoring and conserving the remaining 50.7km of pathways along 14 separate routes in Torridon, Glencoe and on Arran. The work presented a number of challenges including damage caused by people who were accessing the areas despite a lack of formal paths, and also the fact that the terrain was difficult to work in.

Action:
The project involved building new footpaths and links between existing paths, and improving the management of upland paths. Specialist techniques were used to provide more robust paths which were less likely to suffer from severe erosion. On the higher routes on Arran, the Remote Accommodation System (RAS) was used so that project teams could stay on- ite.
The RAS is a customised military system which uses easy to construct flat-packed cabins that can be quickly and efficiently flown on and off-site by helicopter.

Result:

The project has created 34.5 direct full-time equivalent jobs for local footpath companies in the region. It has also improved accessibility for the 160,000 people who visit the hills each year, while at the same time increasing the protection of the delicate mountain terrain by ensuring people walk on designated pathways. The increased accessibility will bring new visitors to the three areas, boosting the local economies as a result.

"It's fantastic to be able to live and work full-time on the island. Work can be hard to come by here, especially in the autumn and winter so this project has been a real boost to us."
Scott Murdoch,
Team leader

Further information:
www.nts.org.uk/Mountains_For_People

Scottish Investment Bank Loan Fund

ERDF

Funding Received:
£400,000, with a total £2million expected over the duration of the project.

Project Duration: 2010 - Ongoing

Result:
Helping Scottish businesses to expand and trade internationally.

Isle of Harris Distillery Results:
Creation of 20 local jobs once Distillery opens in 2015.
Boost to local economy through higher number of tourists visiting the area.

Where:
Scottish Highlands & Islands

Fund recipients:
Scottish Enterprise

Issue:
Following the onset of the recession, there has been a marked reduction in the number of banks lending to small and medium sized enterprises.This has made it increasingly difficult for Scottish businesses to access finance.

Background:
The Scottish Investment Bank Loan Fund will receive a total of £2 million from the European Regional Development Fund throughout the lifetime of the project. This funding will provide financial support to profitable and viable SMEs which: have already demonstrated growth over the last three years; are making a step-change in their growth ambitions and/or export at least 50% of their goods out of Scotland.

Action:
A new distillery on Harris is now nearing completion and will soon produce an unique new whisky, potentially becoming a high-profile feature on the popular whisky trail which brings thousands of visitors to Scotland every year.

Result:
The Isle of Harris Distillery is one of the many businesses benefiting from the Scottish Investment Bank Loan Fund project.

With fewer than 2,000 people living on Harris, employment opportunities are scarce and the local economy is a fragile one. Whisky distillation provided a means by which a long term, commercially successful business can be established for the benefit of the local and national economy. The distillery will produce an unique spirit and has the potential to become a stop on the whisky trail, bringing thousands of new visitors to the island community.

The new distillery could eventually see over 260,000 bottles of malt whisky sold each year. Whisky is one of Scotland's biggest exports, generating around £4 billion last year alone. The local economy will be further boosted by tourists, with up to 60,000 tourists expected each year, including whisky trail visitors. In employment terms, up to 20 local jobs will be created once the new Isle of Harris Distillery opens its doors early in 2015.

"Isle of Harris Distillers is a fantastic example of how the public sector can act as a lever to access funding from around the world. There is huge potential in this business and we look forward to it generating benefits for both the local community on Harris and the wider Scottish economy."
Gerry Reynolds,
Director of SIB

Further information:
www.harrisdistillery.com

Edinburgh Partnership Competitive Communities

ERDF

Funding Received:
£323,000

Project Duration: 2008 - 2011

Result:
212: number of individuals gaining employment via supported job brokerage schemes
386: number of individuals gaining employment through supported ICT/E-learning facilities.

Where:
Edinburgh

Fund recipients:
City of Edinburgh Council

Issue:
A programme was required to counter the effects of unemployment, providing a service for disadvantaged people in areas of greatest need.

Background:
The Edinburgh Partnership Competitive Communities Programme was an integrated two-year action plan bringing together city organisations to promote sustainable economic growth and employment. Both ERDF and ESF funding was provided, with ERDF focusing on three key areas: Employment Hubs/Job Brokerage; ICT support/e-learning; and Energising Communities. There were three distinct projects within these areas.

Action:
Libraries4U: based at libraries in Granton, Muirhouse and Wester Hailes. Delivered job fairs, agency advice days, drop in advice sessions, CV workshops and interviewing skills.

Employment Hubs: provided a job brokerage service and support to employers and clients. Delivered job matching services, provided interview rooms and assessment centre facilities, and sourced work placement opportunities in retail environments.

Edinburgh Community Technology Academy (ECTA): IT classes ranging from beginners to advanced, increasing skills levels and training people regardless of their background and circumstances. ECTA prepared people for Higher Education, setting up their own business or as they tried to secure a job in a chosen field.

Result:

• Number of Job Brokerage Initiatives Supported - 3
• Number of ICT & E-Learning Facilities Supported - 9
• Increase in the number of individuals gaining employment through supported job brokerage schemes - 212
• Increase in the number of individuals gaining employment through supported ICT/e-learning facilities - 386

"I was looking for a way into work following the birth of my second child and came across the ECTA program. It allowed me to learn and develop in a supportive environment, helping me to overcome my anxieties about being in an academic setting and sitting exams. I can honestly say that if I hadn't met the people at ECTA I wouldn't be where I am today. They gave me the confidence to do what I wanted to do with my life - and that was to better myself. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to change my life."
Lea obtained a National Qualification in Administration and IT from Jewel and Esk Valley College and is now working towards an HNC.

St Brides Community Group Centre

ERDF

Funding Received:
€234,965

Project Duration: 2010-2012

Result:
6: Jobs created
7: Enterprises supported

Where:
South Lanarkshire

Fund recipients:
South Lanarkshire Council

Issue:
St Bride's Centre in Douglas, South Lanarkshire, is a former Church of Scotland building used as a community and business centre, and a hub for social activities and sports for the local community. The site has played a key part in efforts to address the area's unemployment and declining population.

The increasing range of activities at the centre meant it was becoming increasingly necessary to carry out work to adapt and renovate the site.

Background:
The village and area surround the St Bride's Centre has, in recent years, suffered a severe downturn in employment. The industrial estate in the village closed, leaving no main source of employment for the community. A local community group created a plan to reinvigorate the building, adapting it to better suit the needs of local SMEs, supporting employment, providing skills and training for local people and running the site as a self-sustaining business.

Action:
South Lanarkshire Council applied for ERDF funding for the community group to lead the project over a two-year period and redevelop the centre.

Result:
The centre was successfully renovated and redeveloped for multiple purposes, with the community group successfully taking over the building in April 2012. The project created a number of new jobs including a project coordinator and three hall keepers. A café opened five days a week and a gym also operates from the site seven days a week. Old businesses have returned to the community, setting up facilities in the centre, and new businesses have also opened.

The site also provides a range of training and skills development courses.

Dalmarnock Station Redevelopment

ERDF

Funding Received:
£2.9m

Project Duration: 2010 - 2014

Result:
The redevelopment of Dalmarnock Station provided a key transport hub for visitors to the Commonwealth Games and those living within the local area.

Where:
Dalmarnock, Glasgow

Fund recipients:
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT)

Issue:
Dalmarnock is one of the most deprived areas of Glasgow, with residents facing multiple barriers of deprivation. The local rail station, one of the key transport hubs for Glasgow City Centre and in a strategic location for the upcoming Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, was in poor condition, with limited access for people with disabilities and with no covered or heated waiting areas for commuters.

Background:
Dalmarnock station has long been a key transport hub for Glasgow City Centre, providing a fast and efficient train service into the centre of the city. However it had long been recognised that the station was unattractive, unsafe and in desperate need of refurbishment. Despite being used by over 61,000 commuters between 2007-2008, the station had limited access for people with disabilities and no covered or heated waiting areas for commuters.

Result:
The redevelopment of Dalmarnock Station has created a safe, modern and accessible hub for the area. It has also been a catalyst for the regeneration of the East End of Glasgow. Dalmarnock was a key hub to visitors to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July 2014 and the redevelopment of the site is a lasting legacy for the people, communities and businesses of the Dalmarnock area. The redeveloped station was officially opened by former Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, in December 2013.