Buckie Fishermen's Hall community ownership bid out for consultation
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A PUBLIC consultation has been launched on the proposed community takeover of the Fishermen's Hall in Buckie.
Run by The Fishermen’s Hall Trust (TFHT) since 2018, the group have lodged a bid for a Community Asset Transfer (CAT) which would see ownership transferred from the Buckie Common Good Fund – administered by Moray Council – to them on behalf of the local community.
TFHT took over the running of the building three years ago after council budget cuts threatened the closure of the facility if no other organisations stepped forward to take responsibility for its upkeep. Since then the trust have invested £63,000 into the hall to pay for a number of improvements and essential works.
To progress the CAT, interim funding of £16,500 has been secured from the Scottish Land Fund to conduct a feasibility study, business plan and building survey/valuation.
Setting out their wider vision, the trust said: “The asset transfer is sought in order to ensure that the facility is made available to the community for generations to come and to also address the current and significant needs of the local community and user groups.
“A transfer to the community will ensure that the origins and heritage of the Fishermen’s Hall and the role it has played in the social fabric of the community for over 130 years, will be remembered, perpetuated and celebrated for generations to come.
“In keeping with its initial purpose and in the midst of current development plans for the building, it will remain as a community hub for the people of Buckie and district.
“The trust seeks to provide a leisure and recreational facility that supports the needs of a community which has significant levels of multiple deprivation and poverty.
“At the moment the hall is used by a variety of groups including fitness, cricketers, bowlers and be-active fit group and the intention is to make the venue available to the wider community.
“The activities of the team since being granted custody of the building show what can be achieved by a community resource that listens to and meets the needs of its users. The creativity and energy of the committee and supporting volunteers have injected weekly life into the hall and its facilities with a diverse diary of bookings by community groups and a wide range of events serving the interests of the hall itself."
The Fishermen’s Hall in Buckie is the second largest community hall in Moray and was built and funded by the fishing community in 1886 for use by the entire AB56 postcode.
It was handed over to the local authority in 1975, forming part of its Common Good Fund.
For more information and to take part in the survey, which closes on September 28, visit http://www.moray.gov.uk/
