Housing Regeneration Fund – town centre sites | Dumfries and Galloway Council

Town Centre Sites

£300,000 from the 2026/27 Housing Regeneration Fund has been allocated to support the delivery of affordable housing and contribute to the regeneration of our town centres. This is by:

encouraging the refurbishment of empty properties
repurposing of derelict sites
providing homes for our communities

Applications can be submitted by:

registered charities
community groups
private developers who are taking forward projects supported through Scottish Government initiatives
registered social landlords who are taking forward projects to deliver affordable housing
Applicants must be eligible for Scottish Government affordable housing initiatives.

We will consider funding for a range of works that enables development including surveys, site clearance and infrastructure provision. Applications will be assessed on their ability to deliver a number of priorities:

contributing to regenerating town centres
increasing the supply of affordable housing
bringing empty properties back into use

All applications will be determined by the Economy and Infrastructure Committee on an individual basis because of their strategic importance.

Empty Properties

Grants are available for private owners of empty commercial property in town centres to convert their property to living accommodation. Eligible properties may be storage space above shops or other previously non-residential property. Projects should have the appropriate permissions in place to be converted into living accommodation.

A 50% grant rate will be made available to eligible properties with maximum award of £20,000 based on works costing £40,000. The grant will be subject to the standard grant conditions set out in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006.

once works are completed, the property must either:
- be made available for letting at or below the local housing allowance rate for a minimum of 5 years following completion of the works, or
- be occupied by the owner or their family for a minimum of 5 years
for the period of 5 years, following the payment of an empty homes grant, the owner must prove to us on an annual basis the property is still being made available for private let at the Local Housing Allowance Rate or being occupied by the owner or family
properties need to have been empty for at least 1 year
50% of the grant award will be withheld until the landlord provides documentary evidence the property is occupied