Securing jobs and homes
Looking at all the scaffolding up around Campbeltown people would be forgiven for thinking CARS is very much a construction project, but there’s a much more human element to it, as well as an economic benefit.
The current CARS project alone has helped safeguard over 49 part-time and full time jobs. Thirty three occupied flats, that could have become uninhabitable if repairs hadn’t been carried out in time, have now been saved. Once the current projects are completed, 15 vacant flats will be available for private rental.
Saving buildings has helped secure the future of 17 businesses and helped one new business – Food for Thought – get off the ground in the former Locarno Café. Billy Brodrick, owner of Food for Thought, says: “We’re really pleased to be able to continue the tradition of these premises as a bistro and the CARS regeneration has made that possible.”
There should be new opportunities for other businesses once the projects are complete.
Ivor Watson, owner of long-established, family business McIvors fruit shop, echoed that sentiment saying: “For me, CARS has helped preserve the long-term viability of the property and the business.”
Home owner, Richard Wooley, says: “Affecting repairs to multi-occupancy property is fraught with complexities and expense. A project like CARS brings together the funding, the expertise and gets the right people together. It’s not always easy, but the end result benefits individuals and their homes and, in the long-term, the town’s prosperity.”