Community asset transfer progress for Benholm Mill plan

Councillors will today be asked to endorse a volunteer bid to take over the historic Mill of Benholm.

Members of Aberdeenshire Council’s Kincardine and Mearns area committee will also be given an update on progress being made on the new plans for the venue, which has had a chequered history since it opened as a tourist attraction in 1995.

More recently, it has been the home of the Mill of Benholm project, officially launched in 2002, with the aim of providing community support for adult learners and work experience in catering, horticulture, furniture restoration, shop and office work.

The A-listed building was run as a cafe until 2014, when a health and safety concerns were uncovered in the kitchen and it was forced to close.

Although owned by Aberdeenshire Council, the mill was run by the Mill of Benholm Trust.

A meeting took place with the trust in August when it was agreed that the organisation should consider a community asset transfer to take on overall ownership, or a long-term lease of the building and site.

The trust has now applied to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator for charitable status.

An outcome on that bid is expected to be announced soon.

It has also been awarded more than £8,000 through a resilient heritage application to the Heritage Lottery Fund to allow work to continue with North East Scotland Preservation Trust on detailed development, funding and business planning for the project.

The committee will meet in Stonehaven.