Friends of Tarlair award contract to renovate lido's pavilion block
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The Friends of Tarlair community group is celebrating the next step of its incredible 11-year journey to save the Art Deco lido near Macduff.
The contract to renovate the pavilion block and old tearoom has been awarded to Crimond-based builders VG Willox Ltd, with a start date scheduled for June.
Since being awarded funding through the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund and Place Based Investment Programme and Aberdeenshire Council’s Macduff Vision and Action Plan, the project has really picked up the pace.
The funding package of around £1.8 million has included additional match funding support from Garfield Weston, Pilgrims Trust and many others which has powered the project forward to the next critical stage.
Conservation plans have been drafted by architects Studio Octopi and its team of professionals who have been tasked with working within heritage architecture guidelines to help reinstate the original design as demanded by the structure's A-listed status.
Studio Octopi’s passion for reinstating Britain’s lidos made them a standout choice of architect to take the Tarlair project forward.
There has been an enormous amount of community engagement to reach where the group is now, with a variety of age groups involved in various activities and fundraising events organised by both individuals, groups of enthusiasts and more general participation in events such as its annual galas.
The group said the support from Aberdeenshire Council has been extraordinary in the last few years and it has helped the Friends of Tarlair weather many a storm, getting it to where it is now.
Wicek Sosna has been employed as its project coordinator since November last year and will be working with the group until its completion.
The full and sympathetic renovation of the original Tarlair pavilion aims to serve as a catalyst for new local economic activity and increased community pride and will showcase the natural landscape of the north-east coast.
The café and community space will accommodate a host of activities including musical evenings, heritage talks, small celebrations and film nights, while the fit for purpose workshop will offer opportunities to work in creative activities.
Pat Wain, chairwoman of the Friends of Tarlair, said: “This community-led regeneration project will encourage tourism, provide new opportunities for enterprise, increase skills and educational development.
"We are confident these facilities will become a thriving centre for the community and visitors alike and will enhance the coastal path network in Macduff, reinstating a feeling of pride in a much-loved cultural and leisure space.
“The pavilion café, workshop and heritage display facilities will provide many volunteering opportunities within the local community and we are looking forward to working with everyone in the years to come.
“The Friends of Tarlair committee is delighted to be the bearer of such great news and looks forward to welcoming lots of people to our renovated facilities in due course.”
