Community Empowerment Annual Report
Perth and Kinross Council · 11 June 2025
Back to Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee — 11 June 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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f PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee Date of Meeting: 11 June 2025 Report Title: Community Empowerment Annual Report Report Number: 25/158 Report Author: Sarah Kimmet, Community Empowerment Officer communityempowerment@pkc.gov.uk Organisational Lead: Elaine Ritchie, Strategic Lead for Housing and Communities ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 This report seeks approval of the Community Empowerment Annual Report for 2024/25. The Annual Report provides an overview of the work done to promote and respond to interest in Community Asset Transfer and Participation Requests. 1.2 Sections: Section 4: Background/Main Issues Section 5: Summary of Community Asset Transfer (CAT) Activity Over Financial Year 2024-25 Section 6: Related Community Empowerment Work by Other Council Services Section 7: Participation Requests Section 8:Conclusion Section 9: Impact Value Assessment Section 10:Appendix: Community Empowerment Annual Report 2. Recommendation It is recommended that Council: 2.1 Approves the Community Empowerment Annual Report 2024/25
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3. Background / Main Issues 3.1 The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 sets out rights for communities to have more significant influence or control over decisions and services which are most important to them. These rights are summarised as follows: Part 3 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 enables communities to request to participate in processes to improve outcomes in their local community. Part 5 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 gives community groups the right to request ownership, lease, or access assets owned by the Council and other public bodies. 3.2 The Council has a statutory duty to report on the number of both Community Asset Transfer (CAT) Requests and Participation Requests it receives every year and the Council's activity to promote these rights. 3.3 This Annual Report outlines the Community Asset Transfer interest and Participation Requests the Council has received from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. The Report sets out some of the outcomes from these requests and the full report in Appendix one details the pro-active work done to promote CAT and Participation Requests to communities as well as the support given to groups. This work reflects the corporate priority of working in partnership with communities. 4. Summary Of Community Asset Transfer (Cat) Activity Over Financial Year 2024/2025 4.1 Since April 2024, Perth and Kinross Council has supported thirty-four community organisations who have expressed interest in the Community Asset Transfer process in Perth and Kinross. This report summarises some of the key activities that have taken place, and how Perth and Kinross Council has supported these community organisations with their Expressions of Interest (EOI) in a Community Asset Transfer. The full report is provided as Appendix 1. 4.2 This report also includes a summary of the activities that have been undertaken in partnership with the Estates team to support community organisations who have been looking towards community ownership out with official Community Asset Transfer route. The Community Learning and Development Team work closely with Estates to support groups to find the most appropriate route to ownership or access. Cloichard Depot, Pitlochry 4.3 Sprout are a Pitlochry based group looking to create an upcycling centre and climate café. They work closely with the local Men’s Shed.
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Following the initial interest in Burnside Toilets, Sprout submitted an EOI in December 2023 for the Cloichard Depot. They hope to house their upcycling centre, climate café, and a workshop for the Men’s Shed. Initial feedback has been provided by the CAT team and the group will continue to be supported to submit a full CAT application. Over the last year the group have had support to engage with architects to begin feasibility work which will be carried out during 2025. Pitlochry Town Hall, West Moulin Road, Pitlochry 4.4 Following initial interest resulting from the Pitlochry Asset Review, the Pitlochry Town Hall group have made progress since their initial EOI. They are now a registered charity and have secured funding to begin feasibility work. They have recently received funding from the PKC Advancing Community Assets Fund towards staffing costs. As well as having the support of a Development Officer, this funding will now allow the group to be able to hire an Operations Manager for the Hall. Following discussions with local Elected Members a proposed Management Agreement with PKC has been agreed and it is expected that this experience will help to inform their CAT application. Dewars Centre, Perth 4.5 Following discussion on the future of the Dewars Centre, Scottish Curling is exploring the possibility of a community-led ice facility. The initial goal would be to take the building on through a long-term lease. Scottish Curling have secured funding from PKC to carry out a feasibility study during the first quarter of 2025/26. Alyth Museum 4.6 Following the closure of the museum in Alyth, Alyth Youth Partnership approached PKC about using the building as a youth hub. The group have started community consultation, and the young people are actively involved in a steering group for this. They have commitment from local trades people to help with much of the capital works and are working on a business plan with the aim of submitting a proposal in Summer 2025. 5. Related Community Empowerment Work by Other Council Services 5.1 Community groups and organisations are often referred directly to PKC’s Estates Team who work with other Services to grant leases and sale of assets. Additionally, many groups who approach the Community Empowerment Team find solutions with Estates out with the typical Community Asset Transfer Route. This section of the report offers a summary of some of the activity since 1 April 2024.
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45 High Street, Perth - St Johnstone Community Trust 5.2 Estates have agreed Heads of Terms and are progressing with a new lease of 45 High Street to St Johnstone Community Trust. The property has been vacant since late last year when Visit Scotland moved out. The proposal is for a retail offering selling St Johnstone FC tickets, memorabilia, office space, St Johnstone Museum, and a space for community events, which will showcase the activities and programs available to the local community and increase footfall within Perth city centre. Primrose Park, Auchterarder - Auchterarder Community Sports + Recreation 5.3 A new lease was completed in January 2025 with Auchterarder Community Sports + Recreation which will allow the community group to create an 'all wheeled pump track' along with a sperate 'mountain bike skills area', both located within Primrose Park. The pump track opened to the public at the end of March. South Inch Pavilion, Perth - Fair City Juniors Football Club 5.4 Terms have been agreed with Fair City Juniors Football Club for a lease of the non-café parts of the South Inch Pavilion building, and the Club has received Building Warrant approval to convert the former public toilets into changing rooms. Fair City Juniors is entirely run by volunteers, and they coach around 500 children at the South Inch. The new lease will enable the Club to significantly improve the facilities available to home and away players. Former Slaughterhouse Site, Aberfeldy - Aberfeldy Development Trust 5.5 Aberfeldy Development Trust have submitted an offer to purchase the former slaughterhouse site at the end of Appin Place, Aberfeldy, and the Council have issued a Qualified Acceptance. The Trust were awarded grant funding by the Scottish Land Fund in December 2024 to purchase this site and an adjacent area of ground for the purpose of developing a small affordable rural housing scheme to address the local community’s concerns over housing availability and affordability. It is anticipated that the development will comprise six homes for sale and rent. Wellmeadow Public Toilets, Blairgowrie - Blairgowrie & Rattray Development Trust 5.6 Following the Council’s decision to close the Wellmeadow public toilets, the Blairgowrie & Rattray Development Trust (BRDT) submitted a proposal to take on the operation of the toilets. The Trust signed a lease, and the toilets were handed over by the Council in July 2024. BRDT are being supported by local businesses, organisations, and volunteers, and in 2025 were awarded Scottish Government funding to carry out a feasibility study for adding a gift shop and local information centre to the toilets building.
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Wildwood, Stanley - West Stormont Woodland Group & Tayside Woodland Partnerships 5.7 In 2024 the Council ran a community consultation on the future of a Council- owned half-acre woodland located in Stanley known as Wildwood or Rookery Wood. The consultation found a strong preference for the Council to explore the willingness of any suitable community groups for taking on responsibility for managing the woodland under a lease or sale. West Stormont Woodland Group (WSWG) and Tayside Woodland Partnerships (TWP) registered their interest, and the Council has engaged with these groups to facilitate a sale of the woodland to TWP, with WSWG taking on woodland management responsibilities. 6. Participation Requests 6.1 PKC have received two participation requests in 2024/25. Comrie Community Council 6.2 Comrie Community Council submitted a valid participation request on 26 November 2024. This was accepted on 27 January 2025 and was a request to work with PKC and Culture Perth and Kinross around the future of Comrie Library. Crieff Community Council 6.3 Crieff Community Council submitted a valid participation request on 18 February 2025. This request was to be involved in wider community consultation around future development of the former Drummond Arms Hotel site. This request was refused on 4 April 2025. The refusal grounds explained that PKC were not able to support with community consultation at this time, as officers focused on the safety and demolition of the site. However, PKC have committed to community consultation in partnership with Crieff Community Council once demolition is underway at the site. 7. Conclusion 7.1 The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 requires the Council to produce an Annual Report, setting out the work done to promote and respond to Community Asset Transfer Requests and Participation Requests. In 2024/25, seven Expressions of Interest were received for Community Asset Transfer, and two Participation Requests were received. 8. Impact and Value Assessment Community_Empowerment_Annual_Report_2024_25_- _IVA_Summary_Report_pdf.html.pdf
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9. Appendices 9.1 Appendix 1 – Full Community Empowerment Annual Report 24/25