Q2: Uptown

Aim:

Develop the town centre’s Uptown as its culture, leisure and community quarter. Develop a community-managed wet weather family leisure offer, eg 10-pin bowling alley/laser tag. Safeguard and upgrade existing leisure venues, infrastructure and facilities including the new Creative Hub trailing the way for the George Hotel. Offer local trades work, placements and skills building to enable long term unemployed to get into work.

We’re asking for £1.2 million for phase 1 to safeguard existing leisure infrastructue and develop wet-weather alternatives.

The George Hotel transformation has already secured £8.7 million from Levelling Up Fund and Dumfries & Galloway Council; an anchor change for the town’s culture offer.

• George Hotel: funding secured to transform the crumbling George as an anchor attraction for the town’s recovery with creative hub, workshops, artists studios, climbing/caving playground and 30 bed bunkhouse for artists residencies and active travellers: cyclists on the Coast to Coast Cycle Route and walkers on the Southern Upland Way.

• King Street Hub: develop hub for creative community engagement for Creating Stranraer Place Planning and Creative Stranraer activities developing audiences, users and projects and trailing the way for the launch of The George in 2025.

• Millennium & Ryan Centres: safeguard and upgrade the town’s key community and leisure centres: Millennium for live performance, groups, courses and classes with dance studio and recording studio; Ryan Centre for film and performance theatre and leisure. Develop youth spaces, zones and resources in each. Explore potential to develop a 10 pin bowling alley with laser tag fun in currently empty spaces eg next door to the Millennium, run by the Centre.

• Museum & Library: refurbish and upgrade these essential elements of our cultural heritage, learning and research centres.

George Hotel creative hub climbing and caving centre (left) The restored George Hotel creative hub in the new Uptown Quarter with neighbouring museum (above): Collective Architecture