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SusSET – Sustaining Small Expanding Towns
Scottish Conference
Workshop Feedback
from Stonehaven on morning and afternoon sessions
on Friday 1st September 2006
Best Practice Activities (numbers) and problems encountered/lessons learned (roman numerals).
WHOLE TOWN STRATEGY
Stonehaven
1. Imagine Stonehaven - (i) Inadequate publicity to engage town. (ii) Need more consideration of servicing proposed housing/families.
2. Future of Stonehaven – (i) Investing time in progressing the study (ii) Needs more promotion/public awareness of study – need to participate. Raising interest.
Stromstad
1. OP Overview Planning – (i) scarce and expensive land (ii) hard to get sense of belonging (iii) balance the economic growth – to keep the ecological values.
2. IO Visions (visions document) The future of Stromstad - (i) Accommodation shortage (ii) Document too long (too much text) (iii) Conflict of interest between developers and inhabitants.
3. Town Centre Development Project – (i) good method but the failing is lack of consultation (ii) difficult to get consensus, “conservatism”.
Hel
1. 15 year Strategy Until 2016 – (i) external experts did work through open workshops (ii) going to be under development pressure – housing, infrastructure, people want to move there.
TOURISM AND SENSE OF BELONGING
Stonehaven
1. Stonehaven Its Special Tourism Group – (i) Professional study and proposal helps access to funding which is required for the study. (ii) Engage more people involved in tourism
2. Developing a tourism strategy for the town (i) Need to source funding to action the strategy
3. Sense of Belonging – surveying residents (i) people are tired of surveys (ii) need to be encouraged that their views count (iii) need to see results.
Stromstad
1. Shrimps Day
2. North of Bohuslan – (i) No achievement of a common goal (ii) Identify what a sustainable tourist is (iii) Implementation of strategy in reality.
3. Stromstad Tourist. Merchants Association. Business Org. – (i) Amount of membership fee (ii) Not enough members (iii) Need to raise funds/get money
Hel
1. Development of Bay in town (i) landowner a problem (ii) finance
2. Partnership with other town (Gdansk) to ensure Hel is easily accessible (i) need more visitors
3. Long distance cycle route (i) maintenance (ii) well promoted (iii) need to prolong the tourism season.
Messolonghi
1. Promote Lagoon – healing water & mud (i) red tape – samples taken – effects proven (ii) not promoted well enough at times (iii) people do not stay long in town (iv) mostly locals who come to town
2. Green Tourism
3. Cycle network – (i) money difficult, delays and central funds have run out for now (ii) The engineer behind schedule.
PARTNERSHIP AND TOWN MANAGEMENT
Stonehaven
1. Stonehaven It’s Special, Executive and sub-groups, Events Group and Tourism Group - (i) clash of meeting dates (ii) over commitment of members
2. Stonehaven Town Partnership Group – (i) funding (ii) very early stages (iii) yet another layer?? (iv) maintaining members’ commitment
3. SusSET Coastal Towns Website (i) translations (ii) each country adding link
Stromstad
1. Fishing cooperation between community, public sector, researchers from university (i) Can’t control other fishing in the sea (ii) lack of marketing skills (iii) still to identify a brand for marketing.
2. Stromstad Town Team (i) Identify successful method of engagement (ii) Identify structure of organisation.
Hel
1. Development of post military area
2. Twinning of partner towns
3. Co-operation with Maritime University
Messolonghi
1. Conservation/Management of lagoon. 3x municipalities (i) on paper only at the moment
2. Waste management project (done) – (i) opposition to siting, protest group (ii) lost EU money as ran out of time (iii) legal action (iv) could not find solution
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT/YOUTH DIALOGUE
Stonehaven
1. Establish Youth Forum – (i) lack of Community Learning and Development (CLD) staff (ii) response level for possible partners (iii) CLD strategy/priority for youth (iv) too little activity (v) churches officer.
2. Recreation Consultation – (i) some areas under used as they don’t suit current interest (ii) encourage youth involvement in interesting ways/incentive (iii) give motivations and goals (iv) early days, good team (v) need to consider indoor and outdoor needs/facilities, inc. theatre. (vi) different answers - 2 surveys (vii) need to move with the times.
3. Town Hall Consultation – (i) poor funding, need to source now that lease is secured (ii) lack of current use (iii) poor attendance at consultants meetings (iv) current disrepair (v) delayed study.
Stromstad
1. Dialogue Project – (i) sustainability, due to youth growing older and adult leaders moving from project (ii) Wrong leaders, wrong people involved to keep project running effectively (iii) new radio station born out of project and still continues.
2. Dialogue Project 2006 – bottom up approach – from community (i) engagement of youth and need to identify a method of successful engagement (ii) Youth centre/meeting place not yet in place.
3. Dancing Project – approach from community
Hel
1. Youth exchange twice a year (i) works well – eager young people
2. Work with recognised/established associations
Messalonghi
1. Youth Dance of Cultural Centre (age 6-12) – done 3 years
2. Community Care project (in homes) for older people and remote locations
3. Festival of dance group and choirs (came second in a competition in China) – heritage. Also “Exodus” memories.
PLANNING, CONSERVATION AND HERITAGE
Stonehaven
1. Clock Tower and Cross Restoration – (i) overdue! (ii) proper stair access needed (iii) funding.
2. Kirkton Fetteresso Conservation area and enhancement (i) Siting of supermarket - disagreement
3. Dunnottar Woods leaflet – (been done) all ability access issues
Stromstad
1. ICZM, Integrated Coastal Zone Planning
2. Koster, Marine National Park – (i) Not just earning money, but identify a method to making it sustainable (ii) to minimise environmental impact (iii) to identify a mechanism to pull all the groups to work together.
3. Ecological museum, borderland Sweden/Norway.
Hel
1. University enhancements (Maritime area) - (i) problem convincing the community (economically) (ii) finance
2. Post military area enhancements (changing the whole use of area) (making tourism out of neglected area) “Changing land use” (i) priorities/phasing of improvements (ii) timings (iii) establishing a plan (iv) need external experts (v) long term process
3. Seal Preservation project “changing function of area” research, education, and leisure. Municipality gave land for project.
Messolonghi
1. People not involved in initial planning. Told what to do. But at elections projects may be suggested.
2. Manage conservations eg lagoon project – past mayor project.
3. Develop airfield. Improve – too small for passenger traffic. Past mayor project had to do – external.
4. Heritage is with Ministry of Culture - not town.
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