Construction is complete on the first phase of the transformation of Midsteeple Quarter in Dumfries.

The first residents have started moving into the flats created at the community-owned High Street building now known as The Standard.

Work on the community and enterprise hub which sits beneath them has been the final piece of the landmark project to have been completed in recent days, ready for people to start using those spaces.

RH Irving Construction, the main contractors on the project which has turned the derelict shell of the former Baker’s Oven at 139 High Street into The Standard, have formally handed the site back to Midsteeple Quarter Community Benefit Society.

This marks the most significant milestone yet in the organisation’s long-term mission to create a new neighbourhood following a trailblazing community campaign for residents to buy this site and five other nearby properties.

Robert Richmond, Chair of Midsteeple Quarter, said: “This is a community-owned building unlike any other in Dumfries. We are incredibly excited about what the future holds.

“Its completion marks the dawn of a new era for our town centre, where people return to living in quality, homes sitting above spaces which encourage entrepreneurship by giving people, enterprises and organisations affordable opportunities to have their own home on the High Street too.”

Kathryn Hill, Midsteeple Quarter’s Interim Executive Director, added: “The Standard is the first step towards making our town centre not just a place where people work or visit, but one where they live, meeting demand for new homes and injecting fresh life into the area.

“What’s more, it’s a site not controlled by faceless owners, but the community through our members. Every decision we make has the best interest of the town at its heart.”

The seven flats for rent are the first new homes on the High Street in living memory, with many offering amazing views across the town.

Other spaces, meanwhile - which include a hot-desking hub, meeting rooms, exhibition and event areas - are unlike anything else locally.

Construction of The Standard - a £7.3m project supported by the Scottish Government, South of Scotland Enterprise, Dumfries & Galloway Council and the Holywood Trust - has taken just over two years to complete. 

It has been named in honour of the site being the former historic home of the Dumfries & Galloway Standard newspaper.

And its proud printing past is reflected in features including lettering in the building’s brickwork, as well as a striking entrance to the flats along Standard Close, which links High Street and Irish Street.

The building has been designed with environmental sustainability at its core, with energy-efficiency measures including solar panels and an air-source heat pump. The development is also car-free, with no parking.

Speaking after showing Midsteeple Quarter directors and staff around The Standard, RH Irving Construction Managing Director Mark Moodycliffe said:  “We are proud and delighted to have successfully completed construction of The Standard - the first stage of what everyone hopes is an ongoing journey to regenerate and reimagine Dumfries town centre.

“This has been a challenging and complex project and I am grateful for the tireless efforts of our management, delivery teams and supply chain partners over the past two years.  

“We have enjoyed strong constructive and collaborative relationships with Midsteeple Quarter, its project design team and other stakeholders, which has gone a long way towards successful completion.”

Mr Moodycliffe added: “I am particularly proud that the project was delivered by a locally-based company, with our project and site teams - along with most of our supply chain -  local to Dumfries and Galloway, ensuring maximum local economic benefit was delivered.”

Work by Midsteeple Quarter’s Enterprise Manager, Jakob Kaye, means that community groups, enterprises and other organisations are poised to begin using the enterprise spaces, both for standalone events and longer-term uses.

The flats at The Standard are being  rented out at a mid-market rate.

Midsteeple Quarter’s allocations work was led by the vastly-experienced team at South of Scotland Community Housing. Tenancies are now being managed by the social enterprise Homes for Good, on the community benefit society’s behalf.

An official opening of The Standard will take place in the next few months. 

Events are also being planned for Midsteeple Quarter members - and the wider community - to see inside the transformed building.

Midsteeple Quarter’s work to take buildings into community ownership - underpinned by the principle that this is the fairest way to act in the interests of townsfolk to create a stronger, more sustainable town centre - is considered as trailblazing.

The community benefit society also owns numbers 109, 111, 113-115 and 117 High Street - which are currently in “meanwhile” use with a mixture of long-term tenants and pop-up spaces - as well as 51 Bank Street, where it has secured planning permission to create four new flats.

Midsteeple Quarter directors are currently developing plans for its next phases of work and redevelopment, looking at those other buildings.

Anyone interested in using the community and enterprise spaces at The Standard can email Jakob Kaye - enterprise@midsteeplequarter.org.