Dufftown Town Centre Improvement Plan

Dufftown is an attractive traditional Scottish town situated at the heart of Speyside on the banks of the River Fiddich. Dufftown is known as the ‘Whisky Capital of the World’. The Plan seeks to support the town centre to become a thriving place that capitalises on its associations with the whisky industry and supports businesses and services for residents and visitors, alike.

• Explore opportunities with landowners and other relevant parties to bring vacant and derelict buildings, such as the Old Bank, and sites back into use to encourage people to live and use shops and facilities within the town centre;
• Support the refurbishment of the Clock Tower and develop it into a Heritage Museum (or other sustainable use) that showcases Dufftown’s heritage, attractions and events;
• Improve the public realm at the Square to create an attractive, inclusive and safe area around the Clock Tower through paving, seating, and planting;
• Light up important and prominent buildings, such as the Clock Tower, and public spaces;
• Improve signage and develop an Interpretation Trail;
• Develop a shopfront improvement scheme to enhance the attractiveness of Dufftown’s main thoroughfares (Balvenie Street, Conval Street and Fife Street) that converge at the Clock Tower;
• Encourage people to walk and cycle (active travel) by improving paths and roads to make them easier and safer to use for people of all abilities (inclusive);
• Explore the opportunity to make the town centre more inclusive and pedestrian friendly through a review of parking provision and disabled parking; and,
• Explore further opportunities for electric vehicle (EV) and bike charging points, cycle parking and storage.
• Support the refurbishment of public toilets that have been the subject of a Community Asset Transfer (CAT).

• Redevelop and/or refurbish vacant and derelict buildings and sites for residential and/or community uses;

The Council will work collaboratively with landowners and other relevant parties including constituted community bodies to explore opportunities to bring vacant and derelict buildings and sites that are in or in close proximity to the town centre back into use. This will help to encourage people to live in the town centre, support local businesses, access community facilities and reduce the need to make local journeys for daily needs by car.

The Old Bank is an example of a vacant building that is suitable for redevelopment. This traditional stone building is situated in a prime location on the corner of the Square. The project would involve working collaboratively with the owner and interested parties to bring the property back into use for residential development and potentially commercial and/or retail space on the ground floor. Opportunities to bring other vacant buildings around the Square and within the town centre back into use will be explored further. The redevelopment or refurbishment of these premises would create a more attractive town centre and provide opportunities and more choice for people to live in the town centre.

• Refurbished Clock Tower that is the focal point within the Town Centre and develop into a Heritage Museum that showcases Dufftown’s heritage, attractions and events (or any other sustainable use identified).

Dufftown and District Community Association (DDCA) acquired the Clock Tower in 2020 with the aim of restoring the landmark building and turning it into a tourist attraction. The DDCA are currently seeking funding from a range of sources including Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and local distilleries to finance the high costs of refurbishment. Given the benefits that the refurbishment of this prominent and iconic building would bring to Dufftown, and Moray as a whole, in terms of attracting tourists and supporting local businesses, this proposal is supported by the Council who will work with the DDCA to identify further sources of funding.

Supporting the refurbishment of the Clock Tower will also ensure the building does not fall further into disrepair and that it will remain an iconic focal point for future generations as well as safeguarding the heritage of Dufftown which contributes to the history of Moray, as a whole.

• Improve the public realm at ‘the Square’ around the Clock Tower to make it a more attractive, safer and inclusive place for pedestrians and cyclists; Explore the potential to light up the Clock Tower; and, ‘Green’ streets and public spaces such as ‘the Square’ with additional planting.

The Square is a well-maintained space with attractive planting, however it lacks a cohesive approach to the public realm - paving, landscaping, street furniture (benches, bins) and signage - which contributes to a cluttered appearance. The central ‘island’ with the Clock Tower has a variety of functions including seating (benches and picnic tables), planting (large raised stone planters, barrel planters, potted shrubs), signage (road signs, storyboards, black direction signs and a community notice board) and a variety of paved surfaces (paved slabs and tarmac). It is proposed to redesign this area and create a cohesive theme where all elements complement each other. This will complement the refurbishment of the B-listed Clock Tower and create a more attractive, accessible and safer environment for people of all abilities to spend time. Potential traffic calming measures will be considered as part of detailed designs.

• Work collaboratively with Visit Moray Speyside to review and rationalise street signage, and consider opportunities for digital (i.e. QR codes) signage; and, Develop an interpretation trail based on local knowledge and Discover Moray’s Great Places.

Signage is an important element within a town centre as it helps visitors find their way around. It is important for promoting tourism and directing visitors to local attractions. However, too much is confusing, leads to clutter and detracts from the appearance of the town. The Council will work collaboratively with Visit Moray Speyside to review signage and explore opportunities to rationalise and incorporate digital wayfinding. Integrating ground level waymarking that ties in with a heritage or other trails will be investigated to help reduce the clutter of multiple signs. The review will focus on providing clearer directions to all of Dufftown’s attractions and amenities.

The opportunity to showcase Dufftown’s whisky heritage through an interpretation trail along with other public realm improvements will be investigated. This is important for the tourist industry as well as promoting the heritage of the town for local residents. A significant amount of work was undertaken through the Discover Moray’s Great Places project and the Council is intending to develop this into a heritage trail that will cover the whole of Moray. This will provide a coordinated and consistent approach. There will be opportunities for local communities to feed in their local knowledge and work with the Council in developing these trails. Depending on the shape and form that these take, there may also be opportunities to develop complementary bespoke local heritage trails which further support tourism.

• Develop a Design Guide and a Shopfront Improvement Scheme for premises on Balvenie Street, Fife Street and Conval Street to enhance the visual appearance of Dufftown’s traditional shopfronts on the main routes that converge at the Clock Tower.

Shopfronts play an important role in the appearance of the town centre and coupled with improvements to the public realm will create an attractive place in which people want to spend time. This helps to support local businesses by making Dufftown’s town centre an even more appealing visitor destination and boosting business confidence. The project involves developing a design guide for shopfront improvements and working collaboratively with Visit Moray Speyside to develop and implement a funding scheme, similar to those developed for Keith and Elgin through the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS). The scheme would cover the replacement of shopfronts and historical features.

• Develop the Active Travel Network and an Active Travel Masterplan for Dufftown in consultation with the community;
• Provide new and improved cycle parking at key destinations within the town centre; and,
• Explore the potential for a dedicated bike hire area at the Square.

The Council’s Active Travel Strategy 2022-27 sets out a number of actions to encourage people to walk and cycle. These include further developing the Active Travel Network and developing Active Travel Masterplans for key settlements across Moray, including Dufftown. The Council will continue to work with the community to deliver the Active Travel Strategy and secure external funding sources to implement.

Provision will be made to upgrade and add cycle storage and parking facilities in key locations such as at the Square will be identified in consultation with the community. Further facilities for storing and charging electric bikes and the potential for a dedicated bike hire area at the Square will be investigated subject to finding an operator(s).

• Explore opportunities to provide additional EV charging points to promote environmentally conscious travel and encourage healthier lifestyles.

The proposal aims to build on the carbon conscious and active travel provision within the town centre. The proposal will investigate the potential to increase the network of EV chargers within the town centre for use by residents and visitors in keeping with the Scottish Government’s new funding requirements and the Council’s future EV strategy. The facilities would be located in key destinations such as the Square and public car parks surrounding the town centre.

• Work collaboratively with Visit Moray Speyside to support the refurbishment of public toilets that have been the subject of a Community Asset Transfer (CAT).

The Council will work with Visit Moray Speyside to support the refurbishment of public toilets that have been the subject of a CAT.