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Resources | Training | Volunteering
Borders Community Action is delighted to welcome the launch of the Community Hall Retrofit Playbook, a practical step-by-step guide designed to help community halls and spaces across the South of Scotland decarbonise in a clear and achievable way.
Community halls sit at the heart of towns and villages, hosting everything from toddler groups and lunch clubs to community meetings and events. Many of these valued spaces are, however, cold, expensive to heat and increasingly difficult for volunteers to maintain. The Community Hall Retrofit Playbook responds directly to these challenges by offering clear guidance that supports informed decision-making and long-term sustainability.
The Playbook has been developed specifically with community hall committees, trustees and volunteers in mind. It does not assume technical knowledge and avoids unnecessary jargon, making it accessible to those managing buildings alongside other commitments. Rather than promoting one-size-fits-all solutions, it is grounded in real data and practical experience from community halls across the South of Scotland.
At the heart of the Playbook is a clear retrofit journey that helps groups understand what to do and when.
This includes:
By focusing on comfort, cost savings and carbon reduction together, the Playbook helps communities avoid costly mistakes and ensures improvements are made in the right order.
A key strength of the Community Hall Retrofit Playbook is its use of six common building archetypes. These are based on construction type and how often a hall is used, allowing committees to quickly identify which pathway is most relevant to their own building.
Each archetype sets out a recommended sequence of measures, from quick wins through to heating upgrades and renewable technologies, alongside realistic outcomes and clear next steps. This approach recognises that a village hall used a few evenings a week needs a very different solution from a regularly occupied community centre.
The Playbook also features case studies from community halls across the Scottish Borders, shared through Borders Community Action. These examples show how targeted investment, often starting with fabric-first measures such as roof insulation or draught-proofing, can quickly improve comfort, reduce running costs and increase community use.
The case studies demonstrate that decarbonisation does not need to be overwhelming. Small, well-planned steps can build confidence, unlock further funding and strengthen the long-term viability of important community assets.
While the Playbook focuses on community halls and spaces, its value extends further. Its clear structure and emphasis on understanding how buildings are used means the guidance has strong potential to be replicated for businesses and community renewable developments.
By combining practical advice with local data and lived experience, the Playbook offers a powerful model for place-based retrofit support that can be adapted and scaled over time.
Borders Community Action would like to extend a massive thank you to partners from South of Scotland Enterprise and Luths for making this guidance possible. Their collaboration has helped create a resource that will support communities across the region to take confident steps towards warmer, more affordable and lower carbon buildings.
The Community Hall Retrofit Playbook is now available and offers a valuable starting point for any community group looking to improve their building and plan for a more sustainable future.
