The old Barony Church is a C listed building no longer used for religous services. In need of remedial repairs, the building is sound, in limited use and is suitable for redevelopment. WKCIL has sought the views of residents and local businesses throughout the development process. Since 2006, a total of 7 community consultations have taken place to identify the needs of the community, with 728 / 16% local residents, business owners and stakeholders consulted. The most recent survey (2009) consulted 353 local residents/businesses representative of the town's demographics, who identified the following needs: • Youth Activities – 268 / 76 % of the community identified a need for more activities for young people. • Volunteering Opportunities – 26 / 68% of existing volunteers identified a need for increasing volunteering opportunities and improving the volunteering experience; • Community Café – 198 / 56% identified a need for a community café/ community meeting place enabling increased numbers of local people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to interact; • Venue Hire – 85 / 43% identified significant interest in venue hire for functions and meeting rooms for local groups. • Arts and crafts classes – 74 / 21% identified significant interest in the provision of arts and crafts classes • Parent/Carers and toddlers and older people - 117 / 33% identified a need for more activities for to increase local and regional access to cultural, recreational and vocational facilities across all generations; • Community ownership of local facilities – 311 / 88% identified support for community ownership of local facilities. • Increasing the townscape amenities – 272 / 77% fully supported the need to increase the townscape amenities via the preservation and improvement of a community owned historic building; • Sustaining a community led initiative – 21 / 47% of local stakeholders identified a need to sustain a community led initiative via increased trading income, reducing levels of grant aid and creating surpluses to reinvest in the local community; • Supporting local independent retailers - 9 / 25% of local businesses indicated a need to create a supportive environment for local independent retailers The proposal to develop the Barony Centre will deliver these priorities by: • Providing low cost/ free craft and cultural activities - Creating a facility that will significantly increase the provision of low cost/ free programmes of craft and cultural activities throughout the year linked to schools and community groups. • Providing a cross-generational forum - Creating a cross-generational forum to assist in the development of a community activities programme. • Establishing a volunteer Youth 'Shadow' Management Committee – the committee will have a percentage voting right within CTS to advise and input on increasing youth participation. • Creating a cross generational project – the project will enable participants to develop practical and social skills, be inspired by traditional and contemporary craft and creatively explore issues of importance to them. • Increasing volunteering and employment opportunities • Providing personal development training - a programme of personal development training opportunities will be provided to staff and volunteers • Volunteering Recognition Scheme – this will be implemented with local and national volunteering agencies. • Centralising Craft Town Scotland operations - Creating a facility that will centralise operations, increase existing income generating activities and enable new income generating activities to be developed • Supporting existing local craft and retail businesses – by encouraging economic investment in the area and increased visitors • Creating a regional Centre of Excellence – this will link to culture and tourism and bring increased visitors to the area. • Developing an important historic building – it will recycle and utilise local materials; support existing trades skills; and create new employment and training opportunities. We are looking to raise the following amount of capital funding: Works Cost £1,255,069.49 Fees 11% £138,057.63 Sub total £1,393,127.12 VAT 17.50% £243,797.24 Total Cost £1,636,924.36 An application for £800,000 has been submitted to BIG Lottery 'Growing Community Assets' fund for consideration at its October Committee meeting.