A community led project aiming to repurpose the newly purchased Melness Church into a multi-use hub delivering hospitality, heritage, visitor experience and services, supporting the local economy.
Estimated Cost
Not yet known
The project has successfully aquired the building with help from the Scottish Land Fund and now plan to repurpose the building into a multi functional community hub, that will serve both locals and visitors to this remote and rural area. It is proposed that the building will be used as a flexible space, incorporating community, heritage and culture, with development of a business that will be an economic benifit to the area. There will be a link with the Strathnaver museum but in particular this project would like to focus on the heritage of Melness and it's people, creating a space in the building for this. Having the pop up cafe open through the summer in the first instance along with providing a toilet stop, will bring a service into the village that is currently unavailabe. In time developing the space for events such as bespoke wedidngs, and the construction of a dedicated food and beverage facility incorporated with the present building. The community are keen to retain the abiity to use the space for local weddings, furnerals and gatherings of all denominations. The first phase, will require funding to deliver essential compliance buildings works, this being the installation of a fire door through the stone wall and fire safety systems. Replacement of some outside facings on the woodwork and small maintenance and restoration to the ridging towards the front of the roof. Along with this the group will be looking a the status of the electrics of the building, the heating and the potential for installation of renewables. An energy audit has been requested. Once the building is compliant it can be opened for use. A key element of the longer term vision is the development of a perminant hospitality facility on site as an extention to the original building. This will fill a significant gap in local services following the closure of the only resatraunt in the village. The lack of those facilities is impacting the local businesses especially through the summer. It is hoped that the development would ultimately result in generation of local employment and collaboration with businesses in the area. In advance of this we intend to explore a pop-up-cafe provision to test demand, generate early income and begin establishing the site as a destination. The cultural and heritage part of the project will involve creating interpretation materials, exhibits and events that celebrate the history and identity of Melness and it's people. Community involvement will be ongoing as the project progresses. We aim to develope as a flexible venue capable of hosting events, workshops, weddings, funerals etc, which will provide opportunities for income generation and wider community engagement. External works will include improvement of the car park beside the building , improved access and the potential to install EV chargers should 3Phase be made available in Meness. Energy efficiency is being explored early to help reduce long term operating costs and environmental impact. The ground around the building is owned by the Melness Crofters'Estate who are fully supportive of the project and who may need to be involved if solar renewables are to be positioned outside the building and not on the roof. The project aligns with the prioreties in the Sutherland Area Plan, partucularly in supporting rural regeneration, strengthening local economies and improving community wellbeing. By bringing a key building back into active use this project will help sustain a fragile local community, contributing to economic developmentand creating opportunities for local employment. It is hoped that it will capture visitor spend that currently only passes through the area. In the short term our outcomes are to make the building safe and compliant and then to open it for community use while progressing with the other strands such as the heritage and culture, visitor destination creation and cafe. Medium term we hope that the development of the food and beverage offering and regular programme of events will provide a sustainable income. Leading in the long term to an established destination for locals and visitors alike, supporting population retention, tourism and community resillience.
.png)
Most voted