17/05/2026
🧱Project Update – 12th May 2026🧱
Building Warrant and Certification
We have engaged local architects, EcoTech Architecture to finalise the internal building design, specification and certification and to takes us through to having an approved building warrant, hopefully by late summer. We are making some minor internal changes to building layout to improve the functionality of the building. Once this work is complete we will be able to obtain accurate cost estimates for constructing the new building.
We are also delighted that Aberdeenshire Council Banff & Buchan Coastal Communities Fund have awarded us a grant of £5169 towards the cost of doing this work.
Community Asset Transfer – Aberdeenshire Council
We have been engaged with Aberdeenshire Council since last year in this formal legal process to obtain the land required for the proposed pavilion and car parking and picnic area. We started the formal application in January 2026. To be eligible to apply for the majority of project external funding, we require to either own or lease the land. Once our application went to the Aberdeenshire Council legal Team for review, we have been advised the legislation prevents us gaining ownership of the land until we either have secured the capital to build the pavilion, or the pavilion is built.
This has left us with no other option than to pause the Community Asset Transfer process, and request a long term lease (acceptable to external funders) from Aberdeenshire Council. This process has now started, and we are looking carefully at conditions required in the lease. Once we have an acceptable lease in place, accurate build costs, we will then be able to apply to project external funders to hopefully raise the required funds to complete the project – but this will require a lot of work and can be challenging, and we will be required to have raised a % of matched funding to gain external funding.
Once again we’d like to thank everyone in the community who has supported our recent fundraising efforts and events, which will help us move forward with the project, and to thank everyone for the positive support we have received. We will of course be having a continual programme of fundraising events – details will be on this page.
We will continue to provide updates as the project moves forward. Anyone who wishes to know more about the project, or feels they want to join the team or can help in any way, please contact one of our Inversport members.
