ARGYLL and Bute Council continues to give its support to the latest community seeking to establish a Business Improvement District (BID).

Dunoon is hoping that PA23BID will run from April 2013 until April 2018, delivering a series of projects and services which will improve the trading environment in Dunoon for the benefit of visitors, customers and local businesses.

Its mission statement is ‘to help make Dunoon a destination of choice for people to visit and businesses to thrive’.  And its founding premise is based on a positive attitude – reflected in the initials of the BID brand name, PA23BID, which also replicates the town’s postcode.

The team at PA23BID have created a business plan which includes a number of projects and activities, including branding for Dunoon, a range of events and festivals, co-ordinated extended seasonal opening hours and various promotional campaigns for the town.

When Argyll and Bute councillors met on Thursday 25 October, they had the opportunity to examine the PA23BID business plan and subsequently agreed to move forward with the Dunoon group working on the town’s BID.  

The council will formally respond to the formal submission from PA23BID and has agreed that, if the ballot for Dunoon’s BID is successful, it will pay an annual level of £12,605.

Argyll and Bute Council will also contribute £15,000 each year over the five-year life of the BID. This money will come from the CHORD programme budget and will help to support those BID activities which complement the CHORD ambitions of attracting more visitors to the town and creating a well promoted and vibrant town – especially in regard to supporting the refurbished Queen’s Hall.

Lead Councillor for Community and Culture Louise Glen-Lee said: “We are delighted to support the people of Dunoon who are putting positive attitude into practice and working hard to bring PA23BID to life. We wish them every success as they prepare for the BID ballot process later this year.”

She added: “In Oban, BID4Oban has recently been supported by a community ballot and is ready for action. Mull, Iona and Ulva are also working on establishing Business Improvement Districts and have received the support of the local area committee. It really is heartening to see so many communities in Argyll and Bute embarking on these ambitious initiatives to improve local life and economy.”

Additional information:

Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) last for five years and are geographically defined areas where businesses come together and agree to invest collectively in projects and services aimed at improving the trading environment. Such projects are additional to those already provided by public authorities such as the police or council. They are funded by a levy paid by businesses in the proposed BID area, and which must be agreed by vote before the BID can be established. Companies also participate in a ballot to confirm whether the BID goes ahead. PA23BID forecasts expenditure of £720,000 over the five-year BID period – find more information at www.pa23.org.uk