How nine towns hope to spend their slice of £20m

A string of towns across the south of Scotland have published their proposals on how to spend a share of £20m from the Scottish government to create jobs and drive regeneration.

Projects across Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders have been put forward by volunteer-led teams in each area.

Proposals range from a promenade in Stranraer, to improving accessibility and energy efficiency at an arts venue in Galashiels.

About 70 projects in total on both sides of the border are part of the £50m Borderlands Growth Deal's Place Programme - funded by the UK and Scottish governments - and should be completed in the next five years.

The town-by-town proposals include:

• Stranraer - a promenade to tackle the "grey scar" of the East Pier, a wellbeing hub, an outdoor nursery, indoor family attractions and shopfront improvements
• Hawick - transformation of the old Wilton Primary School into an arts and creative hub, a new centre to host community events, outdoor learning and health programmes alongside new town signage
• Galashiels - redeveloping a vacant building to provide shops and homes, improvements at the MacArts venue and expanding an existing bike hire hub
• Jedburgh - a potential community hub in the former VisitScotland centre, regeneration of the town hall and reopening the Laidlaw Memorial Pool
• Kirkconnel and Kelloholm - five supported homes to help elderly residents live independently and new small business units
• Eyemouth - improvements to the destination play park, enhancements to the beachfront and Bantry promenade and restoration of historic buildings

Work is continuing to finalise projects in Whithorn, Gretna and Wigtown and Bladnoch with proposals looking at town centre revitalisation, housing, transport connections and celebrating local heritage.

On a visit to Galashiels town centre ahead of the Convention of the South of Scotland, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes toured the MacArts venue which is in line for an upgrade.

"These proposals are an important step forward for towns across the south of Scotland," she said.

"Local volunteers have worked hard to develop these plans and this £20m investment aims to create hundreds of jobs, attract thousands of visitors and generate tens of millions of pounds for the Borderlands economy.

"Galashiels' revitalisation over the past decade demonstrates the benefits of giving communities the tools and resources to shape their own future."

Laurence Reid, director of MacArts, said it was "exciting to see so much ambition" for Galashiels and the other towns involved.

"This potential funding could be the catalyst for future investment, helping secure the future of a vibrant world-class cultural hub in the Scottish Borders," he added.

The full plans are available on the websites of Scottish Borders Council and Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Business cases are being prepared for individual projects with funding decisions expected in the coming months.