A range of priority projects in 51³Ô¹ÏÃâ·ÑApp and Bute coastal communities are set to benefit new Crown Estate funding.
The Scottish Government confirmed in November that 51³Ô¹ÏÃâ·ÑApp and Bute Council’s Crown Estate revenue allocation for the 2025/26 financial year is £2,358,044.
The Council has previously agreed to allocate £1,407,000 and this report brings forward proposals for a further £949.5k of funding from the remaining 2025/26 Crown Estates funding allocation.
At a meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee, councillors approved the allocation of the remaining Crown Estate funding for 2025/26 to a range of priority projects. These will include:
- Town centre support for shopfronts and empty business properties across 51³Ô¹ÏÃâ·ÑApp and Bute (£260,000) - to support the ongoing Love Local campaign and place-based regeneration. The additional funding will be prioritised for business owners who were unsuccessful in the previous funding round
- Helensburgh skating pond (£100,000) – focus on improving path infrastructure and enhanced seating
- Dunoon public realm (£80,000) - funding to supplement the public realm project part funded by Community Regeneration Partnership backing
- Albert Pier car park resurfacing (£150,000) - Match funding for the Place Based Investment funded project to support resurfacing and lining of Albert Pier with a particular focus on enhanced coach parking
- Scottish Association for Marine Science (£80,000) - Funding to support design work on the project to create a STEM Hub
- Public CCTV (£90,000)– a project to add new, improved digital cameras in town centres which will deliver enhanced analytics for use in business cases
- Campbeltown war memorial (£40,000) - match funding for an existing Council commitment to restore this important civic memorial including stone masonry refurbishment
- Helensburgh Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (£135,000) - match funding for the Helensburgh regeneration project
- Strategic Events and Festivals (£14,500) – supplementary funding for the Council’s SEF Round 8 budget to ensure all approved projects receive the total value of funding requested
This latest round of funding is in addition to the £800k approved by councillors in August 2025 for the following projects:
- Inveraray Avenue screen refurbishment (£120,000)
- Gallanach Road (£300,000)- rock slope protection
- Tarbert Heritage and Place Programme (£115,000 for the next 4 years) - match funding
- CARS Projects (£150,000) - flexible fund to support businesses with capital improvements to shopfronts and buildings
- Victoria Hall, Campbeltown (£50,000) – repair and refurbish of the entire front elevation
- Dunoon public realm (£65,000)
Councillor Jim Lynch, Policy Lead for Economic Development, Housing, Islands and Communities, said:
“The purpose of Crown Estate funding is to support, develop and enhance our coastal communities. All the projects being supported with this latest round of funding will play a key role in upgrading and progressing a wide range of infrastructure across our communities.
“At the same time, the initiatives being progressed will help to further grow the local economy of 51³Ô¹ÏÃâ·ÑApp and Bute by playing their part in improving our community spaces and encouraging more visitors to the region.â€
In 2014, Scottish Ministers committed to providing 100% of the net revenue from Scottish Crown Estate marine assets to local authorities for coastal community benefit. Each council determines how best to spend their allocation their local coastal communities.
Funding can be used to deliver projects or provided as grants to third sector organisations to assist with community projects.
