In response to a post on the Strathaven Facebook Group regarding the Ballgreen Hall and the involvement of the Strathaven John Hastie Museum Trust, we would like to confirm our position.
THE Strathaven John Hastie Museum Trust (SJHMT) pursued a Community Asset Transfer (CAT) of the Ballgreen Hall in its drive to set up a museum and community facilities for Strathaven. It was therefore disappointed to report that, despite vigorous efforts by its funding team and its consultants since July 2020, and as a result of many funds being closed or diverted to respond to the Covid 19 Emergency, the Trust was unable to identify sufficient available funding streams.
Its aim was to purchase, make safe, renovate and adapt the Ballgreen Hall and ex-Library Facility so being unable to engage with potential funding bodies to secure confirmation of when suitable funds would be available or the likely magnitude of Grant Funding meant the plans for a community asset transfer could not proceed at that time.
Continual constructive dialogue with South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) took place throughout the CAT Process with the process being mutually paused to allow the Trust further time, in the expectation of the re-opening of Grant Funding which would have allowed Funding for the full proposal to be identified.
Regrettably, this did not occur. Consequently, the SJHMT Board of Trustees met using “Zoom” on Monday 8 February 2021 and after much deliberation unanimously decided to withdraw their CAT Application for the Ballgreen Hall and ex-Library Facility.
The full report can be read in our Blog section at https://strathavenmuseum.org/2021/02/19/impact-of-covid-19-revises-trusts-plans/.
Strathaven John Hastie Museum Trust 