The revitalisation of Scottish town centres: Is your town involved?
The Scottish Government launched “The Town Centre Action Plan” in November 2013. The plan was launched in response to recommendations from a national review of town centres and included ideas designed to support town centre revitalisation and plans to assist local action in order to achieve this.
What is happening in 2015?
NovaLoca were interested to see what activity is taking place in 2015 in Scottish towns in order to revitalise the areas. We have found various projects taking place in Scotland including a large regeneration scheme to take place in Aberdeenshire.
What towns are the Aberdeenshire Council focussing on?
The Aberdeenshire Council are focussing on breathing new life into the regeneration of the four towns Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Banff and Macduff. The plans, which were announced two years ago, have now been committed to with new proposals. In a report, the authority’s infrastructure chief Stephen Archer said “During the next two months, we’ll be discussing and consulting on an updated strategy and I expect we will see a wider approach taken to regeneration so that it is about much more than just town centres, important though they are, and will help address recent employment issues which have arisen.”
What plans have already been put into action?
One of the plans already being put into action is the regeneration of the high street in Fraserburgh’s town centre. According to Jamie Ross of Press and Journal, “The authority [Aberdeenshire Council] has branded the town centre a conservation zone, and has been given approval by local councillors to take over Mid Street’s former John Trail Bookstore.” Now the local authority wants people to offer ideas in regards to the regeneration of a former police station at Kirk Brae. Local councillor Charles Buchan said: “There are various plans, and there is an architect drawing them up. There are different viewpoints about what it will be used for. It may just be council offices, but there are also more adventurous plans than that.”
What is happening in Renfrewshire?
In Paisley, Renfrewshire the landmark building ‘Arnotts Building’ located in the town centre is to be restored and brought back partly as a restaurant. According to The Herald, “The Cardosi brothers, Stefano and Riccardo, will next summer open a new 120-seat restaurant covering the entire ground-floor unit in the former Arnotts department store in Paisley, in what is being hailed as a sign of the town’s centre’s “ongoing rebirth”. Renfrewshire Council Leader Mark Macmillan said “As the town’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021 takes shape, we hope to create even more opportunity for traders to thrive.”
What is happening going forward?
Soon it will be two years since “The Town Centre Action Plan” was launched. NovaLoca will conduct further research in the future to find out how the plans have progressed and will look into further plans for the town centres of Scotland.
If you know of any exciting regeneration schemes happening in Scottish town centres, please contact us or leave a comment below.
