Phase One
New homes and enterprise spaces on the High Street are being created through Midsteeple Quarter’s first major phase of construction.
Work is well underway on the transformation of 135-139 High Street, with the project due for completion in spring 2024.
The site had been essentially neglected for years before we successfully brought it into community ownership via an asset transfer from Dumfries and Galloway Council.
Between November 2018 and April 2020, we operated the former Baker’s Oven - as it was known by townsfolk - as a venue for creative activities with a public focus, while also continuing to support community groups to use the space periodically. Creative Producer Kevin Reid managed and directed the building for Midsteeple Quarter and latterly he was joined by Peter Smith, who ran the building from December 2019 to April 2020.
This period of use demonstrated clear demand in Dumfries for creative and pop-up spaces, the experience of which was an important influence for the plans we went on to develop for the site.
Who designed the scheme and who’s building it?
Planning permission and conservation area consent for the redevelopment of 135-139 High Street was granted in August 2020. It followed a design process which had involved the community every step of the way.
That work was led by ARPL Architects, working with quantity surveyors McGowan Miller and engineers Asher Associates.
RH Irving Construction was selected to carry out the phase one works following a competitive tendering process. The project is being managed by construction project management specialists Nixon.
Construction work began in mid-2022.
What will the transformed site feature?
Once complete, the existing building will have been redeveloped and extended, creating enterprise space at ground level and part of the first floor as well as seven flats on its upper floors.
The creative enterprise area will include space for pop-up projects, one-off events, long-term units for hire, a retail unit and co-working space.
The homes - which will be owned by Midsteeple Quarter Community Benefit Society - will be available to rent at an affordable-to-mid-market rate. We are working alongside South of Scotland Community Housing on this part of our project.
What funding has made the work possible?
The transformation of 135-139 High Street is a £7.2m project.
It has been made possible following years of fundraising by the community, as well as through significant grants support. We are grateful to everyone who is helping to turn the ambition of townsfolk for the site into reality.
The funding package is made up of:
Scottish Government Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF) - £3,460,000.
South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) - £2,199,852.
Dumfries and Galloway Council (via the Place Based Investment Programme) - £916,889.
Holywood Trust - £350,000.
Dumfries High Street Limited (trading as Midsteeple Quarter) - £300,000
What are the hopes for the site?
Midsteeple Quarter’s aims for the redeveloped 135-139 High Street are to prove the concept that having more people live - as well as work - in the town centre can be a critical component of a successful, sustainable, green future for Dumfries High Street which has community ownership at its core.
Rental income from the flats will allow us to ensure the spaces below can be made affordably available to those behind enterprises and creative endeavours, providing a springboard for success.
This will demonstrate what can be further achieved by the redevelopment of the other buildings which are community owned through Midsteeple Quarter.
What’s the site’s history?
In modern times, the site is best known for its many years as the Baker’s Oven cafe. Following its closure, the building became abandoned and neglected before falling into the control of Dumfries and Galloway Council - and then Midsteeple Quarter.
We have acted sensitively to its history and ensured that appropriate research was carried out prior to demolition work taking place on part of the site (read more here).
The main building, which you can see from the High Street, is a steel and concrete structure with a reproduction Victorian facade which was rebuilt in the 1980s following a fire. The rear studio building was marked as a ruin on an Ordinance Survey Town Plan of 1847. In the later Town Plan of 1893, the building is shown as occupied and roofed. In the first half of the 19th century, it was shown as roofed, disused and decayed.
How can I find out more about the development or the potential lease of space once complete? Email the project team on info@midsteeplequarter.org with your details and we will get back in-touch.
