Carnoustie Centre Action Group

The Story so far……..

Carnoustie Centre Action Group was formed in 2005, largely through the efforts of Councillor Peter Murphy who pulled together a steering group of local residents to drive forward his long held belief that Carnoustie should have a dedicated Heritage and Cultural Centre for the use of the local community and visitors alike. With the development of two new primary schools in the Town, Angus Council made it known that Kinloch Primary School would be surplus to their requirements and eventually put up for sale. The initial thoughts of the group were focused on the possibility of obtaining a portion of the existing school building with the idea of refurbishing and adapting it to the needs of a new Centre, at the same time saving a building that was an integral part of Carnoustie’s history. A survey of local people carried out at this time indicated that 96% of respondents were in favour of the development of a heritage and cultural centre at this site. It soon became apparent however that various factors including the internal layout and condition of the building fabric along with funding considerations, meant our initial thoughts would in all likelihood not be feasible.

Meanwhile, the steering group formed into an elected Committee with a written Constitution and concentrated on finding a suitable site for a new-build Centre. Several potential sites were considered and discounted for various reasons apart from the Kinloch School site which met with the majority of our requirements and it was decided to concentrate all our efforts in developing a purpose-built Centre at this location.

Throughout this period, the Committee has been in constant contact with various departments at Angus Council whose advice has proved invaluable. Two public meetings have been held and presentations made articulating our ideas to date. The Group has obtained charitable status and in 2008 a large-scale survey was carried out in the Town, when some 500 residents put forward their views and ideas for the Centre. Around this time last year, CCAG were awarded a grant from the ‘awards for All Scheme’ with the purpose of engaging a team of professional consultants to investigate the feasibility of our proposals. In July, the Glamis Consultancy produced a comprehensive report detailing a number of possible options for the development following on from which, Angus Council announced their plans for the entire Kinloch School site. This included the main area of the site to be developed by Angus Council for sheltered / special needs housing and the area on the northeast corner being set aside to CCAG for the exclusive development of a Centre for the Town.

So that’s where we’re at……….. WE NOW NEED HELP TO DRIVE THE PROJECT FORWARD TO ITS NEXT STAGE - YOUR HELP! IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET INVOLVED PLEASE GET IN TOUCH. 

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