Plans to create a poetry garden in St Andrews have taken a step forward after campaigners secured a grant towards the cost of a derelict piece of land gifted to the town by Mary, Queen of Scots.
The Scottish Land Fund award of £61,750 will allow the group Poets’ Neuk to buy the eyesore site at the heart of the historic town’s conservation area.
Poets’ Neuk has already had a community right to buy application approved by the Scottish Government.
The poetry garden will celebrate the area’s connection with the tragic queen and commemorate its history as the site of the medieval Greyfriars Monastery.
It will feature plaques and poems and will be fully accessible for people with disabilities and sensory impairment.
David Middleton of Poets’ Neuk said the aim was to produce “a world class immersive experience for visitors, while also providing a quiet, green space in the busy town centre”.
Funding has been raised locally towards the plans, which have been drawn up by world-renowned architect, Dr Robert Steedman, a local resident.
Dr Steedman said: “The grant provided by the Scottish Land Fund will give the project a powerful initial boost by providing the means to purchase the site.
“The success of our application to the Scottish Land Fund has been warmly welcomed by the project team, who are keen to make an early start on the project.”
The garden is among seven projects to benefit from the latest round of cash from the Scottish Land Fund.
Land reform secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “I would like to extend my congratulations to the successful projects.
“Today’s funding award will allow them to act on ambitious plans to give potentially under-utilised buildings and land a better use, to the current and future benefit of their local communities.”
John Watt, Scottish Land Fund committee chair, added: “Through re-purposing vacant buildings, acquiring land in order to build new facilities and enhancing the local environment, groups from the Highlands to the Scottish Borders are using the Scottish Land Fund to realise impressive plans for land and other community assets.
“Projects like these make a big impact and not just on their local communities, they also provide inspiration to other groups who are still in the early stages of drawing up plans.”
