Place Based Investment Programme

East Renfrewshire Council invites applications for capital projects that support community-led local economic development and regeneration as part of the Scottish Government's second round of its Place Based Investment Programme (PBIP). 

The Council is set to receive around £2.3m over the lifespan of the PBIP programme and this round's allocation is £385,000.  Funding could be used, for example, to make environmental improvements to neighbourhoods and greenspaces or make better use of land and existing buildings.   

How much Place Based Investment Programme funding is available?

East Renfrewshire Council has received the following sums for this programme:

Applications should be able to demonstrate wider community involvement and support and should complement the Council's Community Plan, Fairer East Ren, and also the Council's economic development ambitions for the area.    

Expressions of interest are recommended prior to making a full application. 

We are now accepting applications for this year. 

The deadline for applications is 7 April 2023 and we encourage potential applicants get in touch with our Economic Development team as soon as possible by emailing business@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk or calling 0141 577 3325 so that one of our Economic Development Officers can offer advice and guidance on the process.   

Fund Objectives 

• to link and align place based initiatives and establish a  coherent local framework to implement the Place Principle
• to support place policy ambitions such as town centre revitalisation, community led regeneration, 20 minute neighbourhoods and Community Wealth Building and Inclusive Growth
• to ensure that all place based investments are shaped by the needs and aspirations of local communities; and 
• to accelerate our ambitions for net zero, wellbeing and inclusive economic development, community involvement and ownership, and tackling inequality and disadvantage. 

Who Can Apply? 

The applicant must be able to demonstrate support for their initiative from people in the local East Renfrewshire community and applications are open to: 

• Community Groups 
• Public sector organisations 
• Charities 
• Housing Associations 
• Health and Social Care Partnerships 
• East Renfrewshire Council services 
• Private companies or individual businesses as long as the proposal does not result in a single operator's private gain.   

Applicants must: 

• have a bank account
• be a constituted organisation with a nominated signatory in order to proceed with funding awards 
• be willing to provide progress updates and information in a timely manner

How much can the organisation apply for? 

We recognise that projects can vary significantly and Economic Development Officers would be happy to speak to organisations about your application. 

While there is no maximum it should be noted that the council is keen to ensure the PBIP fund supports significant change for East Renfrewshire communities through community projects, maximising the funding for round 3.    

Is match funding required? 

Match funding is strongly encouraged.   

Are revenue projects supported? 

No, we will not support projects that are seeking funding for general revenue costs.   

When should projects be completed? 

The grant is to be used in the financial year 2023/2024.  It is expected that expenditure will be met, or at least work or contracts signed or commenced by 31 March 2024. 

Important dates  

Applications are now open and will close on 7 April 2023.  A general timeline is below although this could be subject to some changes: 

• Applications close - 7 April 2023
• Assessment Panel - April/May 2023
• Notification to successful application - June 2023
• Contracts in place - end March 2024
• Works completed - 30 September 2024 

It is advised all applicants read through the Place Based Investment Programme Guidelines prior to completing and submitting and application. 

How to apply? 

• Read our Place Based Investment Programme (PBIP) application guidelines (Word doc) [374KB] (opens new window)
• Request a discussion with Economic Development Officers by emailing business@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk or calling 0141 577 3325
• Fill out an Expression of Interest Form (Word doc) [71KB]  and return to: business@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk 
• Fill out the PBIP application form (Word doc) [126KB] (opens new window)  and return to: business@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk 
• Ensure applications are in by 30 April 2023  

Further information 

The following resources and tools will help you in planning your application: 

• Understanding Scottish Places (USP): a unique and dynamic online tool which shows how every town in Scotland with a population of 1,000 or more is interacting with its surrounding settlements and performing against a range of indicators and inter/dependency relationships.
• Place Standard: a framework designed to support communities, public, private and third sectors to work efficiently together to assess the quality of a place. A new web-resource on place-based working is in development and will contain on-line resources, case studies and toolkits to support place-based working and 20 Minute Neighbourhoods.
• USP Your Town Audit: add to USP a six-day study which provides the standard benchmark for measuring the health of a Scottish town.
• Town Centre Toolkit: guidance on designing and planning town centres to be attractive, accessible and active, focusing on urban design, quality, sustainability and use of town assets
• East Renfrewshire Town Centre Audits www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/article/1402/Town-centres