Fresh on the back of Larkfield Hall being saved, another Community Hall has been saved by local community groups.
The High Blantyre Hall in Cemetery Road, Blantyre has been given permission by South Lanarkshire Council to lease out to the 3rd Blantyre Scouts.
Approval was given at the Housing and Technical Resources Committee to enable the 3rd Blantyre Community Group to lease High Blantyre Hall with the intention of developing an application for a Community Asset Transfer (CAT), following their successful petition.
The hall was among a number of assets that the board of South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture agreed to withdraw from as part of their plans to balance their 2024-25 budget, creating much concern and protest within the community.
Now, things are looking more positive with news that the hall is saved.
At this point, the application for High Blantyre Hall is not a formal CAT request but the community group will be granted a 100% rent-reduction for a one-year lease to allow their CAT application to be developed. The community group is a registered charity that has been set up by 3rd Blantyre Scout Group to lease and manage the facility on its behalf.
It follows a practice adopted by many Scout groups due to them operating under a national set of articles that are not suitable for them to take on leases.
The 3rd Blantyre Scout Group, which has more than 100 active participants and carries out partnership work with other local organisations, has been in operation for more than 100 years.
Scout leader Chris McCrory told Telegraph, “We’re delighted at the news”
The Scouting Group currently hires a hall but wishes to secure its future by having a set of dedicated premises where it can have long-term sustainability and grow.
Councillor Davie McLachlan, Chair of Housing and Technical Resources at the Council, said: “This is great news for the community in keeping this valuable resource open, and it shows the value of the processes set up to address the lack of funding for premises like these across South Lanarkshire.
“It will allow this long-standing scout group to establish their own base where they can bring still more benefit to the area, and it will remove the costs of operating this asset from the Community Fightback Fund and make them available for other vital purposes.”
Well one to 3rd Blantyre Scouts.
