|
Sixty people and
forty two pupils of Carrick Academy took part in the
surveys to identify the type of uses and themes they
would like to see the castle used for in the
future. 82% of people who took the survey felt that
it is either important/very important that the
castle is owned and managed by the local community.
The three most popular themes for the
Castle were cultural heritage, tourism and the arts,
and the three most popular future uses were a
museum, art gallery/exhibition space and family
history archive.
Environmental/eco-friendly and
recreational uses were considered the most important
themes for the future use of the grounds - such as a
community wildlife garden or market garden.
The most popular uses for the castle
chosen by the Carrick Academy pupils were
anniversary and birthday events, a registry office
for weddings, rooms for use by community, voluntary
and charity groups and a museum. In the grounds of
the Castle pupils would like to see a small park,
market garden, wildlife centre and car parking.
Following the presentation, the
workshop participants split into three smaller
groups to review the main themes identified to
secure a viable future for the Castle, discuss their
preferred uses and identify any barriers to
delivery. The most appropriate themes were
considered to be museum/family history related, the
visual arts and holding local events.
The idea of establishing the Castle
as a key component of a Kennedy family trail which
could bring visitors to Maybole was also discussed.
The requirement to include viable
uses that generate regular income and do not
duplicate existing activities in the town and also
protect the heritage of the castle and the
importance of sensitively incorporating new uses
were all recognised.
It was emphasised that the castle is
not being considered in isolation and that links to
other facilities in the town, such as the Town Hall
and the proposed Carrick Centre are being taken
account of as part of the emerging business plan.
It was recognised that the preferred
scheme for the castle building and its outbuildings
and grounds is likely to involve a ‘cocktail’ of
different but complementary uses.
On behalf of Maybole Castle Community
Trust David Kiltie, acknowledged the work the
Maybole community is doing to ensure the Castle is
restored and becomes a vibrant and viable part of
life in Maybole and beyond. “We hope that the
workshop will act as a further springboard to
encourage more residents to play a role in the
Castle’s future”.
The next step is to confirm the
preferred option for adaptive reuse of the Castle,
prepare a business plan that will include market
testing of key uses, identifying funding sources,
cost and revenue projections and long term
management structure.
Further details of the workshop
presentation can be found on the Maybole website
www.maybole.org.
THIS PROJECT IS BEING PART-FINANCED
BY THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT
AND THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AYRSHIRE
LEADER 2007-2013 PROGRAMME
|
