Laurence Rockey, East Lothian Council Chief Executive Visits Regeneration Project on Dunbar High Street

The Chief Executive of East Lothian Council (ELC) made a visit to Dunbar’s High Street to view progress on an ongoing heritage-led regeneration project under the Dunbar Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS). The visit included meetings with Council staff overseeing the initiative, as well as contractors actively engaged in restoration works.

_{^{Jo Parry-Geddes, Director of Mill Architects, Glenn Leslie, Director of Restorex, Wendy Malkin, Dunbar CARS Project Officer, Jamie Baker. Economic Development Service Manager, Laurence Rockey, Chief Executive East Lothian Council.}}

ELC’s Jamie Baker, Economic Development Service Manager and Wendy Malkin, CARS Project Officer, together with Jo Parry-Geddes, Director of Mill Architects (project architect), and Glenn Leslie, Director of Restorex (main contractor) joined Laurence exploring the high-level conservation works taking place at 72-76 High Street. The works include major repair projects addressing long-term and substantial structural defects to buildings which have been identified as priority projects within the CARS programme. Additionally, the works have provided an opportunity for talented trainee stonemasons from the Ridge to get important experience on traditional building repairs. Discussions were held with contractors skilled in traditional conservation techniques, ensuring that repairs adhere to high heritage standards.

Laurence was impressed by the collaboration between ELC, the local community, contractors and Historic Environment Scotland (HES) in delivering this programme to sustain Dunbar’s historic environment and enhance its economic vitality.

About the Dunbar CARS
The CARS initiative, launched in January 2023, is a partnership between ELC and HES aimed at revitalising Dunbar’s historic town centre through heritage-based regeneration, running through to 2027.

CARS programme components:
• Building repair grants: providing up to 70% of eligible repair costs for restoring traditional buildings in private ownership within the CARS boundary.
• Skills development: Traditional Skills Bursary Scheme launched in April 2025, offering up to £2,000 for individuals to attend training in stone masonry, joinery, metalworking, and other conservation skills. Funding for local training providers to deliver formal conservation training, with grants up to £100,000 covering two years.
• Community Heritage Engagement: a Community Heritage Grant Fund opened in May 2025, offering small grants (up to £1,000) to local groups for creative or interpretive heritage projects — such as walking tours, audio trails, booklets, or maps — celebrating the High Street’s history.
• Shopfront Improvement Grants: a supplementary scheme funded by the UKSPF, offering up to 75% of eligible costs, capped at £3,000, for visual enhancements to shopfronts in the conservation area.

Impact so far:
• 9 repair projects completed totalling £450,000 in funding toward preserving the town’s built heritage.
• A further 8 repair projects scheduled to be completed before the scheme finishes.
• The scheme forms part of the broader CARS initiative across Scotland, which has allocated more than £1.11 million to Dunbar under a £4.5 million investment shared across four historic towns, contributing to over 600 jobs, 270 new businesses, and bringing nearly 50,000 m² of vacant space back into use.

Laurence’s visit underscores the commitment to sustaining momentum in Dunbar’s regeneration, ensuring heritage assets are preserved through high-quality restoration, skills-building, and community engagement.

The funding, bursaries, and grant opportunities ensures that the CARS programme continues to shape the future of Dunbar’s High Street in a way that unites heritage preservation with economic growth benefitting the local community.