Community pub developed from old school in Perth and Kinross opens
The CornerStone Rannoch will officially open on Sunday, June 22.
Formerly known as The Hub, the community-owned bar and restaurant will welcome the Kinloch Rannoch community in for a sneak peak on Saturday afternoon before officially opening to the wider public from 10am on Sunday.
Back in September 2022, Rannoch Community Trust was granted planning permission to develop an £830,000 community hub in a former outdoors centre and school.
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The consent was branded a 'major milestone' as the trust then sought to secure the remainder of the funding needed to complete the project at the Victorian building on Allt Mor Place.
Originally built as the village school in 1840, it closed when a new school was opened in Kinloch Rannoch in 1965. In the 1980s it was transformed into a residential outdoors centre until Perth and Kinross Council deemed it 'surplus to requirement' and closed it in 2019.
In July 2020, Perth and Kinross councillors voted to sell the former outdoors centre for £75,000 to Rannoch Community Trust to transform it into a multi-purpose facility for the community. A year later – in July 2021 – ownership of the building and grounds was legally transferred from Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) to Rannoch Community Trust.
(Image: The CornerStone)
Planning permission for the trust to develop it into a community-owned bar/restaurant was granted in September 2022, under delegated powers.
The CornerStone features a social enterprise café/bar, manager's accommodation, office space, a meeting room, an outdoor seating area, new footbridge and a playpark.
It will be run by a mixture of both paid and volunteer staff.
The building was designed by Perth-based Studio East Architects to be 'as energy efficient as possible'.
A spokesperson for The CornerStone said: 'Initially, we will be serving drinks only, until we hook a great chef onboard, so until then you can enjoy local beers on tap and so much more, we can't wait to host you in the heart of our village.'
(Image: The CornerStone)
There is also a meeting room with WiFi.
The spokesperson added: 'Our flexible workspaces catering to groups or individuals is also now available to book: Work — The Cornerstone
'Our new website offers lots of information you might be interested in, so please feel free to take a look around there, or pop in to say hello, we'll be proud to give you a warm welcome.'
Highland Perthshire ward councillor John Duff is delighted and said it looks 'fabulous'.
The Conservative councillor said: 'I am delighted that the aspirations of the community have been achieved and that it will soon have this excellent venue for locals and visitors to come together, relax and socialise.
'The conversion of the former outdoor centre looks fabulous and I applaud the continued efforts of the community to deliver this exceptional facility providing food, drink, meeting and work space. I look forward to visiting the CornerStone myself in the near future.'
Rannoch Community Trust was awarded £134,660 from the Scottish Government's Scottish Land Fund Award to cover the purchase of the building, legal expenses and essential repairs.
It also received £250,000 from the UK Government's Community Ownership Fund and £308,000 from the Scottish Government's Place Based Investment Programme, which is aimed at supporting community-led regeneration.
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