New Cumnock: Plans approved for former Trotters building

The plans submitted to East Ayrshire Council in July are part of the overhaul of the former Trotters building on Castle.

Various funding avenues will allow the New Cumnock Development Trust (NCDT) to transform the derelict building.

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New training and apprenticeships opportunities are also set to be available at the new building.

Plans have split the building into two sections, with a public space including the pop-up shop, café and work spaces.

Three new parking spaces are also set to be included.

Plans for the building. (Image: East Ayrshire Council)

A workshop will be included in the adjacent building, according to plans.

It's thought that the whole process could take until the middle of 2025 to be completed.

A design statement for the plans said: "The vision for the main building aims to retain the character and heritage of the Trotters Building in the village.

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"A new roof is required as part of the works, with the roof space to be highly insulated with mineral wool to reduce the u-value.

"Key public spaces such as the shop and the café in the older building create a welcoming, attractive street appeal."

Council officials approved the plans with the condition that work must begin within three years.

The Trust announced in April of last year that it was to purchase the building thanks to financial support of £24,750 from the Scottish Land Fund.

The first stage of the transformation began later that same month with the removal and replacement of external boarding on the building.

The Scottish Government gave £1.8 million to plans to set up the New Cumnock Re-Use Hub in the building in January, towards a total project cost of £2.3m.

That added to an earlier grant of £91,000, from a separate Scottish Government fund, to help with the cost of drawing up detailed designs for the property.

The UK Government has also pitched in with awards of £182,073 for the project from its Community Ownership Fund and £73,000 from its Community Renewal Fund - though almost a third of the latter award later had to be handed back because the trust had been unable to spend it on its designated use.

The idea of buying and breathing new life into the building was taken up by the trust in response to regular complaints from residents about the empty and dilapidated buildings in New Cumnock.

The process of transforming the building is expected to take until the middle of 2025.

The building was previously home to a drapery business run by John Trotter, who bought the shop from Gold and Anderson in 1911. 

A factory was built at the site in 1915 and a showroom followed in around 1938, while the business expanded to Muirkirk in 1932 and to a new shop in Dalmellington just after the Second World War.