260826 CAT Sub - Lochhead Avenue (LCDT) Update
Renfrewshire Council · 26 August 2026
Back to Community Asset Transfer Sub-committee — 26 August 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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2 PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Infrastructure, Land & Environment Policy Board Community Asset Transfer Subcommittee On: 26 August 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: CAT Transfer Lochhead Gardens (LCDT) Update ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1. The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the asset transfer of Lochhead Gardens. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1. It is recommended that the CAT Subcommittee:- (i) Note the content of the report. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1. The transfer of land on Lochhead Avenue, Lochwinnoch, to Lochwinnoch Development Trust (LCDT) for the Lochhead Gardens Project was approved by the Subcommittee on 24 May 2023. 3.2. The CAT request was for a 10-year lease of the site with an option to purchase the land during the lease period. 3.3. The Subcommittee approved the lease of the land but ruled that a review into sale of the site be carried out after three years to: (i) Assess whether the group's finances correlated with the projections set out in the application and to provide an updated financial projection;
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3 PUBLIC (ii) Gather data on the impact which the lease had on the local community and businesses; (iii) Provide an update on the planning status and history of the site including any proposals for a Local Place Plan in the area; and (iv) (iv) Investigate potential site contamination and proposals for treatment of any contamination. 3.4. An update from LCDT has been provided and is attached to this report. ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Lochhead Gardens Progress Report 4.1. Lochhead Social Garden is now well established in the village providing a home for the Community Larder as well as the Men’s shed and developing space for growing and outdoor activities. 4.2. All contaminated soil has been removed from the site and the remainder of the site checked. Any remaining contamination is low level and is consistent with the site’s former industrial use 4.3. The Local Place Plan, produced by LCDT and approved earlier this year, identifies the Gardens as an important public space and seeks to have it designated as protected open space and included in future iterations of the Renfrewshire Food Growing Strategy. The Plan also proposes enhancements to create meeting facilities, space for children’s groups and a monthly market. 4.4. LCDT report that delays in constructing elements of the project have meant that the project is currently behind in its projections for financial sustainability and as a result they will not be seeking to purchase the asset at this time although this remains a long-term objective. 4.5. The full progress report is attached. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – None 2. HR & Organisational Development – None. 3. Community Planning Our Renfrewshire is well – the CAT supports the wellness and resilience of our citizens and communities. Our Renfrewshire is thriving – the CAT supports economic growth that is inclusive and sustainable; 4. Legal - None 5. Property/Assets – LCDT may seek to purchase the site at a future date.
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4 PUBLIC 6. Information Technology – None. 7. Equality & Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified. 8. Health & Safety – None. 9. Procurement – Not applicable. 10. Risk – None. 11. Privacy Impact – Not applicable. 12. Climate Risk – None. 13. Children’s Rights - None. 14. Cosla Policy Position - None. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) Minutes of CAT Subcommittee Meeting 24 May 2024 https://renfrewshire.cmis.uk./CAT Subcommittee 24 May 2023 Minute _________________________________________________________________ Author: Sandra Inrig – 0141 487 1447 or 07974 071238. sandra.inrig@renfrewshire.gov.uk
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5 PUBLIC Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust Lochhead Garden Development report 2023-2026 Renfrewshire Council Board Lochhead Social Garden – Lochwinnoch
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6 PUBLIC Contents Page Section 1 - Introduction 1.1 – History of the site 1.2 – Identifying the need for community space 1.3 - CAT process and Objectives Section 2 - Project Overview 2.1 – Description of Lochhead Gardens project 2.2 – Development of Lochhead Gardens 2.3 – Story of the Lochwinnoch Men’s shed Section 3 - Supported Projects and activities 3.1 – Becoming a community asset 3.2 – Projects and activities hosted at Lochhead Gardens 3.3 – Statements from community groups Section 4 - Sustainability and Future development 4.1 – Financials 4.2 – Future Sustainability Section 5 – Development in pictures 5.1 – Before 5.2 – During 5.3 – After Section 6 – The future of Lochhead Gardens 6.1 – Future plans
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7 PUBLIC Section 1 – Introduction 1.1 - History of the site Lochhead Gardens is situated in the heart of Lochwinnoch. The acre site started as a furniture factory opening in 1897, making furniture for houses and ships such as the Titanic. When the furniture factory closed down in the 1950’s, it was turned into a cooperage and continued to provide many jobs for the local community. When the cooperage was relocated, the original site on Lochhead Avenue stayed open for a while but was then sadly demolished in 1984. The land lay derelict and overgrown for over 15 years before interest of community ownership began in early 2020. The site held a special place for people in the village, as many locals had worked in the factories over the years. The community had watched it become an unused and uncared for space and were keen to see the potential re-development of the land under community ownership of LCDT. 1.2 – Identifying a need for the community space During Lockdown in 2020, some local community members saw an opportunity to use the gardens to grow vegetables due to limited allotment space in the village. Due to the popularity of volunteers in growing and distributing produce, a food committee was formed that later became the Community Larder. They packaged up and distributed parcels of fresh produce around Lochwinnoch to those in vulnerable positions. In November 2021 the trust was granted a license to occupy. The larder was able to purchase a cabin to further facilitate surplus food waste and help support the community’s needs. They were able to identify through this process the struggles many locals face. With levels of social isolation and financial deprivation living in a rural community, LCDT wanted to create a space in which people could connect and come together. We wanted to improve the local facilities and services, helping our community become more self-sufficient. We held many community consultations, surveys, leaflet drops and communication with local businesses throughout the early planning stages. Results from the survey confirmed that the top response for using the garden was for events, markets, hosting workshops and community spaces such as the Men’s shed. List of consultations in 2022: • April consultation – Your Social Garden • November consultation – Outdoor events/Markets • November consultation – Garden Activities • November consultation – Market Vendors 1.3 – CAT process and Objectives Lochwinnoch community development trust had a vested interest in keeping the land in the community and began proceedings for a community asset transfer from Renfrewshire council. The main objective for Lochhead Gardens was to include development of a space which will facilitate an improvement of social and environmental wellbeing for the people in Lochwinnoch,
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8 PUBLIC as well as nurture economic regeneration. After positive consultations with the community and local businesses, Renfrewshire Council granted our community asset transfer in May 2023, with the opportunity to potentially proceed with a community buyout if the land was self-sustainable in the future. Section 2 – Lochhead Gardens Development 2.1 – Description of Lochhead Gardens Project Lochhead Gardens is a community social garden that has thrived since the community asset transfer was granted in 2023. LCDT were funded by the National lottery community fund to hire a garden designer and a project officer on a 3-year basis starting in June 2024. We had fantastic support from many other funders such as Renfrewshire Council sustainable communities fund, Local Action Group, Villages investment fund, Enva and many other local funders. We were able to put the funding towards the development of the site. Our plans included a growing area towards the back of the gardens featuring a number of vegetable beds and a large community Polytunnel. A new workspace and toilet building for volunteers and a larger work/prep space for the larder staff. The Lochwinnoch Men’s shed buildings and a spacious marketplace area in the middle. Please see the plans below:
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9 PUBLIC 2.2 – Development of Lochhead Gardens After a long-time of planning, we were delighted when the groundworks started in March 2025 and there was real excitement in the air. We were able to complete our new mono-blocked entrance – repurposing the bricks that were already on site. New paths were laid to the Larder, marketplace and growing area. We were able to create a beautiful grass marketplace area with large planters in the middle with seating all around. The space was instantly transformed and the feedback from residents and locals was amazing. They could not believe the transformation in just 6 weeks. In July 2025 we received funding to buy plants for the front entrance and the large planters in the Marketplace area. The planting took place by a group of volunteers and it transformed the two spaces. Filling it with bright and aesthetically pleasing plants where insects and habitats could begin to thrive. We have since seen different species of butterflies and Dragon flies visiting the gardens. Pictures of Planting the marketplace planters.
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10 PUBLIC We were awarded funding from the Sustainable communities’ fund and with further matched funding from The Local Action group, we were able to successfully complete the workspace and toilet building in December 2025. This was a much-needed building to ensure the future sustainability of the garden. This now offers a place for the larder to prepare food with safe handwashing facilities and a new toilet onsite. This will increase the time people will be able to spend on site and secure renting and booking of the space having these facilities available. Pictures of the space before the building work began. In Jan 2026, we were donated a 10m Polytunnel from Coresford school who were no longer able to use it. We pulled a team of volunteers together to collect the Polytunnel and started the rebuild at Lochhead. In April 2026 we were able to re-cover the polytunnel ready for community use. This has
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11 PUBLIC completed the growing area and everyone is delighted with the progress. We have masses of vegetables successfully growing in the planters outside and tomatoes inside the polytunnel and they are thriving. Pictures of our Growing Area 2.3 – Story of the Lochwinnoch Men’s shed The development of the Men’s shed was a really exciting project to be part of. There was a small group of members in 2024 but due to a change of premises the group had become smaller. LCDT were aware of the high demand for a men’s shed in the village and wanted to help them spark new membership. We held a recruitment drive in the village in Feb 2025, we asked the SMSA (Scottish
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12 PUBLIC Men’s Shed Association) to come along to give a talk to encourage a fresh outlook and interest. Over 30 potential members turned up on a cold, rainy evening and the community buy in was incredible. We then held further meetings and the steering group was formed in March 2025. LCDT supported with funding applications to help fund their future shed. We successfully received funding and the group were able to purchase their first social cabin in May 2025. They planned the whole process meticulously as they wanted to build it themselves and had great fun along the way. They were awarded further funding at the end of 2025 and were able to purchase a new workshop cabin in March 2026, again constructing it themselves. They have built workbenches, tables and much more inside to make the most of the space. They hosted their first AGM in June 2026, which saw more board and steering group members joining. It is going from strength to strength and the community are so excited to have the group in the village to help support with local projects. They have helped support Lochhead gardens in so many different ways and are an asset to have on site. Section 3 – Supported projects and activities 3.1 – Becoming a community asset Lochhead Gardens has played a huge part on improving the life of so many within the village since the development of the site began in spring 2025. The residents of Lochhead Avenue have had a really positive reaction regarding the development. They are thrilled that a once overgrown and unsightly space has been transformed into a beautiful hub for the community right on their
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13 PUBLIC doorstep. Many residents regularly walk their dogs, use the men’s shed/Larder and help volunteer at the gardens. We have had many residents donate slabs, plants, soil etc to help with various projects we have running and are keen to hear updates and progress on the space. The addition of the Lochwinnoch Men’s shed has added further appeal to the site. This has helped with the social isolation many face within the village and has given people a purpose that can sometimes be lost. Friendships have formed through user groups that may not have flourished in ordinary life. It is wonderful to see the community spirit in where everyone learns from one another through shared skills and experiences. It has improved the health and wellbeing of many who are able to spend extended periods of time in an outdoor environment, benefitting from all that brings. The community Larder is an essential part of Lochhead gardens, it serves a great number of people in the community who are in need, not to mention helping the environment with the surplus food epidemic. They have recently introduced a lunch stall every Friday for the children from the local primary school; they are able to access free lunches, fruit, snacks, water and refreshments. This has been a great success with the pupils, with many looking forward to seeing what’s on offer. Wildcare Forest School offer a service for outdoor learning throughout the school holidays. There is a great need for more childcare options available to parents in the village. This means they have access to an outdoor learning environment which is proved majorly beneficial to children. The added facilities of a toilet will drastically improve the forest school service to more children.
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14 PUBLIC 3.2 – Projects and Activities hosted at Lochhead Gardens Today, Lochhead garden is home to many community user groups, the Community Larder, the Lochwinnoch Men’s shed and Wildcare Forest school, who all use the site on a regular basis. We host a weekly volunteering day every Tuesday morning to help with varying weekly tasks around the site. It is also home to many new walkers and passersby who frequent the garden on a regular basis. It is wonderful to see children playing, people eating picnics around the Larder and Marketplace areas and people walking through, stopping for chats along the way. The garden is really beginning to fulfil its purpose of creating a space where many can meet and enjoy socialising in an outdoor environment. We have held many events and Volunteer days at Lochhead since the site was developed in early spring 2025. Our garden party in August 2025 was a great success, where all groups came together to host a fun day for the whole community. We had workshops including an antique tool talk, willow weaving, arts and crafts, garden games for the children and refreshments for all. It really created a buzz around the space and showcased what it can be used for. We have held a lot of different events and activity days at Lochhead, many of which are mentioned below:
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15 PUBLIC • Seed growing workshops • Community lift and stack • Volunteer BBQ’s • Arts and weaving workshops • Halloween event • Educational days with home school children • Planting and weeding volunteer days 3.3 – Statements from Community Groups: Volunteers “The experience of volunteering at Lochwinnoch community larder has been truly life-changing for my son. He became a larder volunteer when he was 15, as part of his Duke of Edinburgh award. He gained skills in customer service and teamwork and paid work experience at the Feel-Good festivals. My son is neurodiverse and was struggling with high school. Larder gave him confidence and made him feel valued and welcome. It also helped his CV. He only needed to volunteer for 3 months to satisfy his DoE requirements, but he enjoyed Larder so much that he continued to volunteer on Saturday mornings for over 18 months. Thanks to the Larder's social events, my son met a local business owner, who agreed to give him a work trial when he left school. After a few months he was taken on as a modern apprentice. I cannot thank Larder enough for enabling my son to overcome big challenges and secure a really bright future for himself. I am forever grateful to Tori and the team at Leap for their commitment to helping this community to flourish ” Men’s Shed “My first recollection of the Men’s Shed group was the inaugural meeting in November 2023. A small band gathered together to try and establish the group at which point the stumbling block was to find a suitable location. At one point there was the possibility that we may have access to a portacabin at the Castle Semple sailing club, but this fell through when the clubs’ own plans were disrupted. Had it not been for the opportunity to rent space in a unit that was to be built in Lochhead Gardens, the probability is that the Men’s Shed would still be looking for a venue to host the group. Through a lot of effort and hard work, split between LCDT and the Men’s Shed members, a significant amount has been raised to provide the location and two building that are home to the group. The provision of these buildings has given the members the opportunity to get actively involved in not just the erection of their two cabins, but the design and layout of the internal space and the initial organisation of the committee and running of the meetings. In addition, members have contributed a lot of time and effort in laying paths to the buildings thus saving costs that LCDT were then able to put towards different areas of the gardens. It has been a great piece of collaboration between all of the user groups on site, as we move forward, we will continue to offer support not only to our members, but the whole community of Lochwinnoch. “ Community Larder “Lochhead Garden has evolved over our time there from a derelict gap site in to a really beautiful and welcoming space that is the perfect base for Lochwinnoch Community Larder. We're one of the busiest pantries in Scotland with up to 300 visits per week and a large and active volunteer team; a huge part of our success is this unique setting. The support from LCDT to help meet our needs has been brilliant and there are many powerful partnerships formed in that space between the various user groups and the members and volunteers of each. Our new food growing space
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16 PUBLIC is now well developed and adds another dimension to what we offer, building local resilience and fostering skills development. People meet at the garden from across social boundaries which is something other spaces locally have historically failed to facilitate. It's truly an inclusive and vibrant community space which we're grateful to call home. Section 4 4.1 – Financials Income generation through Community Fundraising in 2025 This was based upon a small garden open day which was not held to raise money but more to showcase the space and the progress made. We held a fundraiser in November 2025 and it was a sell out!! We sold over 95 tickets and raised a good amount to go towards community-based projects. We aim to do two fundraisers per year. (No funding has been included in 2025 income below) Gardens Open Day £213 Fundraising Event LCDT £1300 Total £1513 Income Projections 2026 -2028 (No Funding has been added to these projections) 2026 (June onwards) 2027 (Full Year) 2028 (Full Year) Rental Workspace £583 £1000 £1000 Rental Growing Area £600 £600 £600 Markets (x12 pitches) £2200 £4800 £4800 General Events £1600-£2000 £2000-2400 £2400-£2600 Children’s Parties £600 £1400 £1600 External Hire of space £600 £1200 £1200 Fundraising Opportunities £1000-£2000 £1000-£2000 £1000-£2000 Additional Events £3000 £4000 £5000 Total £11,583 £17,400 £18,800 On top of the proposed income from the workspace and growing area, we plan to host a number of events including regular markets. We also look forward to hosting seasonal events in Easter, summer, Halloween and Christmas, these would fall under our additional events projections. We have applied to additional funders to keep our project officer in post and hope this will make a huge difference to the continued progress of the site, until we have generated enough income to be self-sufficient. 4.2 – Future sustainability We are positive that now our essential workspace and toilet facilities are in place this will drastically improve the conditions for site users. It will increase the appealability of the site for potential vendors and visitors wanting to rent the space as they can now spend longer periods of time at the gardens. We will continue to work alongside our user groups who are also keen to host their own events at the gardens. These in turn will all contribute to the overall income for the site. LCDT would still like to be considered for the buyout of the land but are also realistic in that we need to have a regular income in order for this to become a consideration. We are very hopeful that we will be able to be in a
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17 PUBLIC position to buyout the land in the coming years once the site has had a chance to generate an income and become more self-sufficient. Section 5 – Development in pictures 5.1 - Before
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18 PUBLIC 5.2 - During After…
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19 PUBLIC 5.3 - After
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20 PUBLIC Section 6 – The future of Lochhead Gardens 6.1 – Future Plans LCDT would love the opportunity to complete the buyout of Lochhead Gardens within the next 3 years. We are really positive that in 3 years’ time we will have had the opportunity to run successful events and generate a desirable income from the space. We hope to secure the land and plan on adapting the space more readily to fit the user groups, volunteers and visitors’ needs over time. We would love to ensure Lochhead gardens is held in community ownership and preserve the space for community use for future generations. Our ongoing plans for Lochhead Gardens continue and these include, creating an open sided outdoor learning structure to offer further opportunities for outdoor education and activities. This will enable our onsite forest school to be able to have more space to learn in an outdoor environment as well as many other members of the community being able to use it. We have plans for a multipurpose room where community members can rent this out for activities such as Art, music, yoga and enjoy being in a secluded outdoor environment. We plan on creating further paths taking you to other areas of the garden for exploration, enhancing the communities experience in an outdoor space. In order to complete the plans above we are seeking further funding. We currently have 5 funding applications submitted to progress the growing beds, Pond, Solar energy and core staffing costs. Our most recent meeting being the Renfrewshire Council village investment fund, they were delighted with the progress we had made in a short period of time. They seemed really keen to help with the project. Between the support from all at Renfrewshire council, funders, user groups, volunteers and visitors, we are really excited for the future of Lochhead Gardens. We would love to ensure this community space becomes an integral part of life at Lochwinnoch and continues to being joy to people for years to come.