Biosphere Team Set Sights on Dalry as Eco Office Site
The Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere’s plans for a sustainable office space at St John’s Town of Dalry are gaining momentum.
Architects from Prospus Group, who have a base in Dumfries, have been appointed and work on the Biosphere’s new hub will begin in the first half of 2023. The site earmarked for the development is 0.3 Ha of council-owned land at Underhill, which would be leased to the Biosphere over 20 years.
The Biosphere Team
In accordance with UNESCO’s sustainability ethos, the office will be a low carbon building sympathetic to the natural environments in and around Dalry, with a light ‘footprint’ on the ground. As well as creating a workplace to house the Biosphere’s team of eleven full-time staff, options to create meeting rooms, exhibition space and co-working areas that local people can access are also being explored.
The Biosphere is committed to keeping the local community involved in the office design and development as it continues through the year and will be hosting a drop-in session on Wednesday 8 February at Dalry, with the opportunity to view potential architectural designs,speak to the Biosphere’s director and officers about the project, and meet representatives from the partners involved.
The land at Underhill area is already used by local dog walkers and children for light recreation but the Biosphere team would like to know more about how locals currently use that space. What are your ideas on how it could be used in the future? How can we celebrate the associations between people and nature? How can we use the UNESCO Biosphere designation to help champion St John’s Town of Dalry?
The village has been a designated ‘Biosphere Community’ since 2019 and already offers so much to visitors looking for a place to stop and explore, including Mulloch and Waterside hills, the Watson Bird Trails and the Southern Upland Way. The Biosphere and project partners are examining how to use Underhill’s incredible views across the Glenkens to the Rhinns of Kells (in the core of the Biosphere) to reflect the relationship between people and the land.
Work on access to the office’s outdoor space, and the interpretation within, will be led by the Edinburgh- based company Bright; their recent projects include the Rhins of Galloway Coastal Path, the Great Tapestry of Scotland, and public engagement for our neighbouring UNESCO Biosphere at Dublin Bay.
The Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere was awarded £1.9 million in funding by South of Scotland Enterprise in 2020 to support the next five years of operations, a relationship that continues in the office project. The planning application for the development at Underhill will be submitted to Dumfries & Galloway Council in the spring, with activity to commence on the ground soon afterwards if permission is approved.
The Biosphere is partnering with St John’s Town of Dalry Community Council to ensure consultation on the office project continues to be as accessible as possible to local people, who are invited to get in touch with either organisation at any time with queries or concerns. Public consultation will be facilitated both in-person and online in the weeks and months ahead, beginning with a drop-in session on 8th February from 2pm onwards in Dalry Town Hall. All residents are warmly invited to attend.
Morag Paterson, on behalf of the Community Council, says: “We are looking forward to working with the Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere as they bring their plans forward to create a headquarters in the centre of Dalry. Having the offices of a UNESCO organisation in our village should be a real boost, both for locals and visitors to the area.”
Ed Forrest, the Biosphere’s director, says: “Our Partnership Board, officers and I are delighted to be moving forward with our new eco-office in the Biosphere’s 10th anniversary year. It’s an exciting time for our region as sustainability comes to the fore in public policy, private enterprise, and tourism initiatives such as Scotland’s UNESCO Trail. It’s also an incredibly challenging time, in terms of land use, economic wellbeing, and keeping our communities connected and our heritage alive. We sincerely hope the Biosphere’s presence in St John’s Town of Dalry will provide active, tangible support in all these areas for many, many years to come.” More information about Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere is available at www.gsabiosphere.org.uk
For any queries about the office development or public engagement process, please contact the Biosphere via info@gsabiosphere.org.uk or the Community Council via sjtdalrycc@gmail.com