Final grants allocated in Penicuik shop front improvement programme

​Properties at 8-12 John Street are among the final funding allocation.

More than £200,000 in final grants have been awarded by the Penicuik Heritage Regeneration Project to improve shop fronts in the town.

The final allocation will be used for No 26 High Street (Marmaris take away), 8 John Street (Headcases hairdressers), 10 John Street (Caley Vape Shop), 12 John Street (K Electrics) and 2A The Square (the Corfu Take away).

The work involves providing new timber shop front fascias with brackets, cornices, and hand-painted signage together with new timber shop fronts and doors where appropriate. It also includes roof repairs to 2A The Square and replacement sash and case windows at 12 John Street. This will complement improvements carried out at No 14-20 High Street 2, 4-6 John Street and 25-28 The Square.

To enable these, additional grants were obtained from Historic Environment Scotland and the National Heritage Lottery Fund. The cost amounts to £252,756, with the grants totalling £230,319.

The work has already started on 2A The Square and is due to finish in mid-May. The other schemes will start in two weeks’ time.

This now closes the project’s building grant scheme, now in its sixth year having been granted a year’s extension due to the impact of the pandemic.

Two other projects are still currently onsite – No 4The Square and No 2 The Square – which are due to be completed by the end of June. The other remaining project is the restoration of the Hearse House in St Mungo’s churchyard and the development of the Penicuik town centre Heritage Trail, both of which are nearing completion with an opening planned in the summer.

Provost Debbi McCall, Penicuik Heritage Regeneration Project chairperson, said: “The work will significantly enhance the appearance of the High Street and John Street and will help to boost confidence in the town centre at a time when businesses are struggling to survive in a very difficult economic environment. We’ve achieved a great deal over the life of the project; 38 building grants have been awarded with a total value of £3,250,472.00 and grants totalling £2,167,154.00. Numerous community engagement events, training and education initiatives have also been delivered.”