Chair of South of Scotland Enterprise encourages communities to give their views on town centres
Professor Russel Griggs OBE, Chair of South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) was recently appointed as a member of the Scottish Government’s Town Centre Action Plan Expert Review Group and is encouraging residents, businesses and communities across the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway to give their views on their towns via a new survey just launched by the group.
On 1st July 2020, Scottish Government announced that a range of experts will build on the progress of the Scottish Government’s 2013 Town Centre Action Plan. The group is tasked with issuing its report and recommendations for consideration by the Scottish Government by the end of 2020.
Professor Russel Griggs OBE, Chair of SOSE and member of the Town Centre Action Plan Expert Review Group, said: “The Expert Review Group of which I am proud to be a member of has launched this very important survey in order to gather the vital views of local communities on the future of their towns.
“Community input is absolutely vital for the success of any future vision for town centres and we need to get this right. Now more than ever, we need to ensure there is a national vision which reflects local people’s views and ideas.
“Our communities are the life blood of our towns and villages. During this pandemic, more than ever, we have seen true community spirit shine through across Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders, and this is what we must build upon for the future of our economy and our society.
“I would really encourage as many people as possible to give their views, experiences and ideas via this survey. The aim of the Review Group is to ensure any strategy we develop has community input so we can get full support and ensure it reflects what our residents really want to see, and be part of going forward.”
The survey is now live here and runs until 30 September 2020 at 5pm.
Members of the Review Group include COSLA, the Royal Town Planning Institute, the Improvement Service, South of Scotland Enterprise, the Carnegie Trust, the Federation of Small Businesses, Public Health Scotland, Sustrans, Development Trust Association Scotland, Inclusion Scotland and the Scottish Government.
View information and progress reports on the Review Group's work.