Levelling Up UK Government Secretary Michael Gove visits funding …
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Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities MP Michael Gove visited Macduff Marine Aquarium to see how £5.7 million will be spent to improve the visitor attraction.
The project was successful in receiving a grant from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund as part of an Aberdeenshire Council bid which also includes the development of a cultural quarter in Peterhead, with a total of £20 million allocated to the local authority.
The region’s bid was called Cultural Tides: North Sea Connections in Aberdeenshire.
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities MP Michael Gove with Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid and Leader of Aberdeenshire Council Councillor Gillian Owen at Macduff Marine Aquarium. Picture: Kyle Ritchie
Under the council’s plans, a significant modernisation of the existing aquarium at Macduff will improve the visitor experience and include expanded exhibits and enhanced facilities.
A two-storey extension will take advantage of coastal views and include a new café-restaurant, education suite and community space.
The £5.7 million project will also involve an external revamp of the building, a new children’s play area and path links along the coastline.
Mr Gove was welcomed to the aquarium by Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid, Leader of Aberdeenshire Councillor Gillian Owen, aquarium manager Claire Matthews and other local dignitaries.
He received a tour of the popular visitor attraction’s current facilities and the plans for the renovation work were presented to him.
Mr Gove said of the funding: “These transformational projects will revitalise communities that have historically been overlooked but are bursting with potential.
“This new funding will create jobs, drive economic growth, and help to restore local pride.
“We are delivering on the people’s priorities, levelling up across the UK to ensure that no matter where you are from, you can go as far as your talents will take you.”
Aberdeenshire Council’s bid also includes the creation of a new £18 million cultural quarter in Peterhead.
It will revitalise the former civic heart of the port by transforming the disused Arbuthnot House into a new destination museum and cultural hub.
The historic building will be sensitively restored and a new extension will house both the town’s library and a new regional museum showcasing Aberdeenshire’s extensive historical collections and artwork.
Multi-purpose and workshop spaces will support participation and learning, while a new dedicated facility will attract temporary national exhibitions.
The facility will also feature a café and restaurant with views of the harbour, and the building’s former walled garden will be transformed into a new public green space.
The existing Arbuthnot Museum and Library building on the town’s St Peter Street is also being restored and converted under the plans to create a vibrant cultural venue with live entertainment space and dance/music studios on the upper floor.
Mr Gove also visited Nigg to check its progress in becoming a Green Freeport and the Moray Leisure Centre in Elgin.
A total of 10 projects in Scotland were allocated more than £177 million from round two of the Levelling Up Fund.
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