�20m town recovery fund proposed

Mr Higgins suggested Dumfries needed a population of 60,000

A plan has been put forward for a �20m fund to help kick-start regeneration of a town centre in southern Scotland.

A private developer dropped its multi-million pound project to overhaul Dumfries last year due to the global "credit crunch".

Now Dumfries and Galloway Council is considering setting up a 10-year investment programme to fill the gap.

SNP councillor Robert Higgins, who tabled the plans, said a new approach was needed to town regeneration.

Under the proposals, �2m would be set aside each year for a decade in order to help revitalise the area.

This is a good town, it is an attractive town, and it really needs to move on

Robert Higgins
Councillor

Some of the cash generated by the scheme would also be used to help other parts of the region.

Mr Higgins said a fund of �20m could make a "huge difference" to the area.

However, he added that it was important to encourage people to live in empty properties in the town as well as to attract business.

He said it must be a target to try to nearly double the current population of about 31,000.

"I firmly believe that for Dumfries to move on for the rest of this century we need to hit a population of about 60,000 to 65,000," he said.

"Dumfries used to be, I believe, bigger than Inverness and look at Inverness now - we have got to follow that.

"This is a good town, it is an attractive town, and it really needs to move on."

A report will now be prepared into the feasibility of setting up the regeneration fund.

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