The vital funding from the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund will allow the transformational project to be developed on a site in the town centre that has long been identified as an eyesore and a barrier to growth in the village.

The Carnwath Community and Business and Enterprise Hub project is a long-time ambition of the local community, and will support economic and social regeneration through the development of business facilities, accessible training and learning facilities for Carnwath and surrounding communities.

The project is being developed by Carnwath Community and Business Enterprise Hub committee in partnership with Carnwath Community Council and South Lanarkshire Council.

Councillor Robert Brown, Chair of Community and Enterprise Resources at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “This transformative project in Carnwath is the key to unlocking future investment and a host of regeneration outcomes for the local area. I know that local people have put a lot of hard work into delivering this innovative project as a centre for local community aspirations.

“The council is committed to resilient, inclusive local economies and this project is part of a number of projects in our communities which are great examples of community wealth-building in action, revitalising some of our most disadvantaged and rural communities by creating jobs and growing the local economy, and I am excited about what it can bring to the people of Carnwath.”

The Hub will deliver a range of facilities and amenities including meeting spaces, multi-purpose rooms, outdoor space, business units, office space and digital infrastructure, through which people of all ages, community groups and businesses will have access to advice, information and guidance, business opportunities, educational, and social and leisure activities.

Angus Knox, Secretary of Carnwath Community Council, said: “This grant award is fantastic news for our local community as it will allow us to build our Community and Business Enterprise Hub.

“This will be truly transformational for Carnwath as it replaces an ugly, vacant, derelict and vandalised site that has stopped economic growth in our community for many, many years and will encourage, inspire and motivate our community to realise that we can achieve our aspirations and dreams.

“We would thank the council’s Economic Development Team for their encouragement and enormous assistance to give us the belief that we could achieve this fabulous outcome for Carnwath.”

The Regeneration Capital Grant Fund is delivered by the Scottish Government in partnership with COSLA and local government.

It is intended to support locally developed place-based regeneration projects that involve local communities, helping to tackle inequalities and deliver inclusive growth in deprived, disadvantaged, fragile and remote communities across Scotland.