Dumfries and Galloway Council is working with The Urban Collective , a local community group, to design an accessible Bike Skills Park in Black Park in Stranraer, within the Stanctuary project area. This is a project that emerged in conversation with the local community as part of the Stranraer Local Place Plan. It aims to provide more leisure opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds in Stranraer, contributing to the improvement of people&rsquo;s health and wellbeing in the area. The project design process is funded by Transport Scotland via SWestrans, the Regional Transport Partnership for Dumfries and Galloway.You can access more information about the project and details about how to contribute to the designs, at https://tinyurl.com/StanctuaryBSP. If you wish to receive project updates let us know e-mailing StanctuaryBikeSkillsPark@stantec.com.The following link will take you to the Stanctuary Bike Skills Park website. <a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f47c9b2a0ce342a092edf55c73b7ca51">https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f47c9b2a0ce342a092edf55c73b7ca51</a>&nbsp;<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/commonplace-digital-limited/image/upload/v1726135525/projects/66057101bf25e506cc46bbf9/fazhobededmtctvdbhyp.jpg" style="width: 562px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/commonplace-digital-limited/image/upload/v1726135561/projects/66057101bf25e506cc46bbf9/xecz1gsiplbb9oipslv0.jpg" style="width: 562px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">

Stranraer Bike Skills Park - Stanctuary 

<div>Hello, &nbsp; Welcome to the launch of the Stranraer Commonplace Digital Democratic Platform. Please take your time to review the projects and surveys, and drop a pin on a project map you would like to comment further on.&nbsp; You can also access the platform from the following link&nbsp;<a href="https://www.creatingstranraer.co.uk/" target="_blank">https://www.creatingstranraer.co.uk/</a>&nbsp;Just head to the Place Plan tab and click on Commonplace.&nbsp; &nbsp;We will be sending out regular updates through the Newsletter. Feel free to pass on our information so others can sign up and be part of shaping the future of Stranraer.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/commonplace-digital-limited/image/upload/v1719910371/projects/66057101bf25e506cc46bbf9/p6qzfjgfplsfs0mpv77j.jpg" alt="Aerial view of Stranraer harbour and coastline" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div>

Stranraer Place Plan Update June 2024

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The people who know the town best are those who live, work, and spend their leisure time here, so we need your input into how Stranraer can meet its full potential.

To get more involved in the Place Plan developments and contribute to your town, your future, read the Place Plan projects that are in development and take the surveys. You can also drop comments on the maps.
Have your say until the 30th August 2024!

Have your say in Stranraer's placemaking plan

Creating Stranraer

Add logic to update projects latitude and longitude

If you use a screen reader, please use this survey for the Wet Weather Escapes map tile

Alternative Accessible Wet Weather Escapes Map Survey 

Wet Weather Escapes

If you use a screenreader, please use this survey for the Stanctuary Map survey

Alternative Accessible Stanctuary Map Survey

Stanctuary Map Survey

If you use a screenreader, please use this survey for the Enterprise Zone map tile

Alternative Accessible Enterprise Zone Map Survey

Enterprise Zone Map Survey

Suggest some areas for potential development and activities.

Have your say by dropping your pin within the highlighted area, where you feel we could develop our leisure activity offerings.

 We have highlighted The Ryan Centre and Millennium Centre on the map as these are already under discussion.

 If you are using a screenreader - 
<a href="https://creatingstranraer.commonplace.is/en-GB/proposals/alternative-accessible-wet-weather-escapes-map-survey/step1">please use our accessible survey here</a>

Drop a pin and share your thoughts on the Stanctuary Development areas.

Stanctuary Map

Hover over the highlighted areas to understand the proposed allocation - and then drop a pin to share your thoughts.

If you are using a screenreader - 
<a href="https://creatingstranraer.commonplace.is/en-GB/proposals/alternative-accessible-stanctuary-map-survey/step1">please use our accessible survey here</a>

Stanctuary 

Areas for potential development for The Big Makeover, Revive: Town Centre Living,  and Dicks Hill Wellbeing Centre.

Enterprise Zone Map

This map will showcase the areas for potential development for Our Enterprise Zone.

 Please drop as many pins as you like to comment on potential projects

Revive: Town Centre Living(Blue Pins)<FONT

The Big Makeover (Purple Pins)

Dicks Hill Well being Centre (Yellow Pins)

If you are using a screenreader - 
<a href="https://creatingstranraer.commonplace.is/en-GB/proposals/alternative-accessible-enterprise-zone-map-survey/step1">please use our accessible survey here</a>

Enterprise Zone

Learn about the Place Plan and how we hope to develop Stranraer.

Introduction

The Place Plan identifies the options most important to the community to be developed. The Place Plan has focused, for development within the BTIP (Borderlands Town Investment Plan), 6 priority projects across 5 strands.&nbsp;The 5 strands are:<ul type="disc"><li>Quality of life</li><li>Work &amp; Opportunity</li><li>Play &amp; Creativity</li><li>Climate &amp; Environment</li><li>Pride &amp; Citizenship</li></ul>

Share your views on how the Place Plan should work across Stranraer, read more:.<div style="position:relative;padding-top:max(60%,326px);height:0;width:100%;"><iframe sandbox="allow-top-navigation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation allow-downloads allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-modals allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-forms" allowfullscreen="true" style="position:absolute;border:none;width:100%;height:100%;left:0;right:0;top:0;bottom:0;" src="https://e.issuu.com/embed.html?d=place_plan_-_final_-_package_gm_-no_bleeds&u=sdtcoord"></iframe></div>

To share your views click on the tiles. You can drop a pin and leave a comment and take part in survey questions. Go to the Home Page and choose the project you would like to leave feedback for.Local Place Plans will help Stranraer to regenerate our town centres and neighbourhoods using ideas generated by the community. These investments can cover a wide range of activity such as upgrading town centres and green spaces, making better use of land and existing buildings, shop front improvement schemes and developing active travel opportunities.We expect the Council and partnership organisations will take into account the views expressed and a wide range of other factors, to enable decisions on which options can proceed and when. At this stage, we are keen to hear people&rsquo;s views to shape priorities, but cannot offer a guarantee that all options will go ahead. This will be looked at more closely in the Borderlands Town Investment Plan.The Place Plan extends across Stranraer, and we want to engage with the community of Stranraer as the projects are developing. This is your democratic digital space to share your views and voice on how Stranraer is shaped for the future. &nbsp;We welcome your views on how we can deliver against our priorities in the years to come.

Have your say on the areas you want to see regenerated and improved for mixed-use such as affordable living, leisure, or offices.

Revive: Town Centre Living

Redesign the town centre for mixed use: housing, business and leisure, including &#39;meantime opportunities&#39; for creatives and entrepreneurs in vacant properties. Work with landlords, agents and developers to create opportunities to model change and reanimate the town centre.&nbsp; Case for change:Need for the project: Stranraer town centre is blighted by the number of vacant and derelict properties, many of whose previous uses were rendered uneconomic by loss of traffic through the town following the closure of the ferry terminal on the East Pier and its relocation out-of-town to Loch Ryan to the north.These town centre properties are not being regenerated by private sector developers, so a catalyst is required to bring them back into use. Their redevelopment would provide a safer and more people-friendly environment in the town centre and stimulate new uses of town centre premises.&nbsp;Market failure:&nbsp;Private developers are wary of taking ownership responsibility for individual derelict properties within a depressed physical location.&nbsp;A central regeneration agency may therefore be required to devise an overall plan for the area and demonstrate its potential by bringing derelict and vacant properties in key locations back into use.

Project description:The project will involve the Stranraer Development Trust in surveying, buying, redeveloping and releasing a small number of vacant buildings as a pilot project to demonstrate the potential for such buildings to be brought back into use. It involves the following steps:● drawing up an inventory of vacant buildings in Stranraer Town Centre;● establishing their ownership and current use (i.e. use for which they have planning permission) and what plans their owners have for their future use;● where owners have a viable plan to bring their properties back into use, it may be that the most appropriate role for the Stranraer Development Trust (SDT) is to work with them in support of their plan;● in other cases, where the current owners have no plans or their property is so derelict as to render it unviable for the owner to redevelop and where their appearance detracts significantly from the attractiveness of the town, the SDT may have to step in as the &ldquo;developer of last resort.&rdquo; This would involve assessing the current condition of the property, and evaluating whether it is economic to refurbish or better to demolish and create a clean development site, assessing potential uses for which the building or the site might be put, and, where the current owner is financially unable or unwilling to undertake the necessary investment, negotiating purchase terms for the SDT to buy the property;● the SDT might then seek developers to take over the site for approved uses (under licence) or seek to redevelop the site/building itself, building on its experience with the successful redevelopment of the former George Hotel;● the redevelopment would be undertaken with an end use in mind, and ideally with a partnership agreement for that use with an appropriate tenant or end-purchaser. The funds available from the Stranraer BTIP for this purpose would be allocated to survey, buy and redevelop perhaps three or four properties in the most visible and prominent locations within Stranraer, likely to be in the George Street/Castle Street/Charlotte Street area. &nbsp;

Have your say on the fun activities you want to see delivered in Stranraer for when the weather turns. 

Wet Weather Escapes Survey

Develop a community-managed wet-weather family leisure offer. Safeguard and upgrade existing leisure venues, infrastructure and facilities. Offer local trades work, placements and skills building to enable long term unemployed to get into work. &nbsp; Case for change:There is currently a lack of all-weather facilities in Stranraer, and a limited number of activities that young people in particular can enjoy.&nbsp;This is a factor in the gradual drift of young people out of the town to larger urban centres such as Glasgow and Edinburgh where there is more to do and a much wider choice of leisure and entertainment.There is no evidence that this will be spontaneously reversed by private investors.A catalyst is needed to kick-start the process of change, by identifying potential opportunities and providing support to private and community sponsors willing to take a calculated risk by investing in all-weather facilities, including if required some funding support.

Project description:Stranraer, in common with the rest of Scotland, experiences dreech, cold, rainy days, particularly but not exclusively during the winter months, when outdoor activities are not popular or even, on very bad days, not possible. The Wet Weather Escapes would involve the Stranraer Development Trust working with private entrepreneurs and community organisations to develop activities embracing wet weather conditions, which could include:● Indoor sports and games facilities, potentially hosting activities such as a bowling alley, pool/snooker, card and board games (chess, backgammon etc);● Development of Stranraer&rsquo;s curling facilities, where the town is already a leading centre, with a successful curling rink at the North West Castle Hotel which is home to the Stranraer Ice Curling Club with some 1,000 members of all ages;● A multipurpose cinema/theatre / events facility;● Wet weather outdoor facilities such as the development of the George V Bike Park for sports cyclists who embrace the challenge posed by wet weather conditions.The project would probably be phased after the Town Centre Living initiative and potentially use one of the properties redeveloped under that project, as well as utilising existing facilities such as the Museum for heritage events and the Ryan Centre for theatre, cinema, concerts etc.Its implementation would be led by private sponsors and community organisations such as the Curling Club and Bike Club, with SDT acting as a &ldquo;constructive friend&rdquo; in supporting their initiatives, helping to secure required permissions such as planning consents, potentially identifying premises for wet weather activities, and helping to secure financial support.