New MSQ Manager

Thursday March 05

Everyone at the Midsteeple Quarter is delighted to welcome Scott Mackay as our new MSQ Manager. Many of you will know Scott as someone who has volunteered on the project for the last couple of years – most recently chairing the Board of Trustees on behalf of fellow members…so he certainly knows what he is letting himself in for! Scott stood down from the board in November in order to apply for the Manager post, we were delighted by the response to our advert, from all around Scotland, and the recruitment process was very competitive requiring two rounds of interviews.

Strategic Director of MSQ, Matt Baker commented – ‘We are delighted to welcome Scott to the project team, he has proven his commitment and ability already through the voluntary work he has done on MSQ, but it is particularly fitting with the ethos of the project that we should have a local person as our Manager. Scott beat off fierce national competition for the role and showed that, often, we have the skills on our doorstep to drive forward change for our community’

Scott Mackay lives in New Abbey and has a background in town planning, building and community development. He takes up the role as MSQ Manager leading a small project team to deliver the local community’s vision for the very heart of the town centre. Scott commented:

“Now is a super exciting and significant time for MSQ! Given the support and funding we have secured from the local community and our funding partners, it’s so important that we have the capacity and resources in place to take forward our ambitions. I am therefore thrilled to accept the responsibility of taking forward the management of the project and implement the vision for MSQ. Progress is happening fast, so I am keen to hit the ground running. It’s a privilege to be a part of this dynamic community and following on from spending the last couple of years (has it been that long already?) steering the project as a volunteer, I will be working hard to see our vision become reality over these next few years.”

2020 promises to be the busiest year yet for MSQ – we expect to be starting on site with Phase 1 ’The Oven’ and our masterplan for the Midsteeple Quarter was published earlier this month – kick starting a 15 year vision that will see the local community take control of a group of underused and neglected High Street buildings and refurbish these as a contemporary living, working, socialising, learning and enterprising quarter – a new beating heart for a more diverse town centre and a catalyst for a thriving and resilient future Dumfries.