A new play park could be created in Barrhead as almost £400,000 is set to be shared between eight community projects.

Recommendations have been made on how East Renfrewshire Council’s share of funding from a Scottish Government scheme should be spent this year.

The council has been allocated £2.34m from the Scottish Government’s placed-based investment programme between 2021 and 2025. For the current financial year, the council has £385,000 to distribute.

Cabinet members will make decisions on the applications next Thursday.

A council report stated the programme “continues to provide an excellent opportunity to deliver further investment to key areas of East Renfrewshire”.

It added the fund has been a “catalyst for community and stakeholder engagement which will help provide direction for future investment and collaborative working”.

Barrhead Housing Association is expected to receive £80,000 to create a Newton Avenue play park, with two “distinct age-appropriate play equipment areas, benches and growing areas”.

A £75,000 award is recommended to create an improved community hub at Crookfur House in “the heart of the retirement village in Newton Mearns”.

It would include an improved cafe, leisure and community spaces, accessible to all in the community, and is part of a wider £800,000 project.

The council’s education department could receive £69,000 towards repurposing the former janitor’s house at Braidbar Primary to become a “specialist safe location” for the council’s emotionally based school absence (EBSA) service.

“Increasing absence rates noted nationally and locally, and appear to be exacerbated by the pandemic,” the council report added.

Supporting children to return to education can help them become “successful learners”.

Eaglesham Scouts could get £50,000 towards landscaping work outside their new hall and £65,700 is recommended to be used by the council’s neighbourhood services for path upgrades on the Netherlee to Stamperland walkway.

And £20,000 is set to be awarded to the council’s neighbourhood services team for 40 large bins to replace smaller bins in Clarkston, Busby and Eaglesham. 

It is expected to reduce the frequency of collection, allowing resources to be used elsewhere such as litter picking.

Clarkston charity Off Grid Kids is expected to be given £18,300 to fund improvements to an outdoor learning space, including pathways to allow wheelchair access and a greenhouse.

Auchenback Resource Centre could receive £7,000 for a new outdoor community space, with seating, and the expansion of its current cafe.

Council officials issued a call for proposals in January to community councils, community groups, the third sector and council departments, with a deadline of April 7.

Initial bids were assessed and projects that passed were then scored, taking into consideration deliverability against a “tight timescale”, with contracts required to be signed by the end of March next year.

Geographical spread across the council area and the economic benefits of each project were also considered.