Montrose Playhouse top of the bill at Scottish Civic Trust awards

Playhouse manager Matt Buchanan (left) and David May are pictured with the My Place Award.

Montrose Playhouse has been named as the winner of this year’s Scottish Civic Trust My Place Awards.

The project began 10 years ago after a new swimming pool opened as part of Angus Council’s new sports centre, causing local people to wonder what would become of the old pool building.

David Paton, associate director at Crawford Architecture and eventual chairmman of Montrose Playhouse Project SCIO, posted his thoughts online about how the building could be re-imagined as a cinema.

The project began in 2012 after the closure of the old swimming pool.

Within a few hours, 500 people had liked the post and given their backing for the designs to become a reality. Within a week, the Montrose Playhouse Project was established.

In 2017, the committee purchased the disused building from Angus Council for £1 and then held a community event to strip the building back to a shell, engaging more than 80 volunteers and saving the project around £250,000 and six months of time.

Construction began in 2021 and, over 10 months, the building on The Mall was converted into three screening rooms with a combined capacity of just under 400 people.

The Playhouse also features education and exhibition facilities, retail space and a cafe bar.

Since its opening in October 2021, it has seen a six percent lift in its operating budget, and over 52,000 cinema tickets have been sold.

Laura Black, a member of My Place Awards judging panel, said: "Montrose Playhouse is an inspiring example of how communities can come together to develop innovative places and achieve a positive change for local people. It’s clear that Montrose Playhouse has established itself as a versatile community asset, stimulating the local economy and providing an accessible and beautiful social space for all ages.”

The My Place Awards are free to enter and open to buildings, monuments, public realm schemes and designed landscapes in Scotland. They are supported by the Scottish Government. To enter a community-led built environment project for the 2023 My Place Awards, submit an entry form at myplacescotland.org.uk.