A new era dawns in Dumfries as the transformation of Midsteeple Quarter is completed

The first residents began moving into the apartments created in the High Street community building, now known as The Standard.

Work on the community and enterprise center below them was the final piece of the historic project completed in recent days, ready for people to start using these spaces.

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RH Irving Construction, the main contractor on the project which transformed the derelict shell of the former Baker’s Oven at 139 High Street into The Standard, has officially returned the site to the Midsteeple Quarter Community Benefit Society.

This is the most significant step yet in the organization’s long-term mission to create a new neighborhood following a pioneering community campaign inviting residents to purchase this site and five other properties near.

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

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“Its completion marks the dawn of a new era for our downtown, where people return to quality living, homes located above spaces that encourage entrepreneurship by providing people, businesses and organizations affordable opportunities to also have their own accommodation on the High Street. »

Kathryn Hill, interim executive director of Midsteeple Quarter, added: “The standard is the first step in making our city center not just a place where people work or go, but a place where they live, meeting the calls for new homes and breathing new life into the neighborhood. area.

“Moreover, it is a site not controlled by anonymous owners, but by the community through our members. Every decision we make has the best interests of the city at heart.

The seven apartments to rent are the first new homes on the High Street in living memory, with many boasting stunning views across the city.

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

Construction of The Standard – a £7.3 million project supported by the Scottish Government, South of Scotland Enterprise, Dumfries & Galloway Council and the Holywood Trust – took just over two years. It was named in honor of the site being the historic former home of the Dumfries & Galloway Standard newspaper.

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

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The building was designed with environmental sustainability in mind, with energy efficiency measures including solar panels and an air source heat pump. The development is also car-free and with no parking.

Speaking after showing Midsteeple Quarter directors and staff around The Standard, RH Irving Construction Managing Director Mark Moodycliffe added: “We are proud and delighted to have successfully completed the construction of The Standard – the first step in what everyone hopes will be a continuing journey to regenerate and reinvent Dumfries city centre.

“This has been a difficult 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 have gone a long way towards successful delivery.

Mr Moodycliffe added: “I am particularly proud that the project has been delivered by a local company, with our project and site teams – and most of our supply chain – local to Dumfries and Galloway, ensuring thus maximum local economic benefits. »

The work of Midsteeple Quarter’s corporate director Jakob Kaye means community groups, businesses and other organizations are ready to start using corporate spaces, both for standalone events and commercial uses. in the longer term.

Apartments at The Standard are rented at an average rate. The Midsteeple Quarter allocation work was led by the experienced South of Scotland Community Housing team. Rentals are now managed by social enterprise Homes for Good, on behalf of the community relief society.

An official opening of The Standard will take place in the coming months. Events are also planned to allow Midsteeple Quarter members – and the wider community – to experience the interior of the transformed building.

Midsteeple Quarter’s work to make buildings community property – underpinned by the principle that this is the fairest way to act in the interests of city residents to create a stronger, more sustainable city center – is considered a pioneer.

The community relief society also owns numbers 109, 111, 113-115 and 117 High Street – which are currently used ‘in the meantime’ by a mix of long-term tenants and pop-up spaces – as well as 51 Bank Street , where it obtained planning permission to create four new apartments.

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