Agenda item

3.1       With reference to paragraph 3 of the Minute of 8 June 2021, the Service Director Customer & Communities, Mrs Jenni Craig, and SBC Portfolio Manager, Mr James Lamb, presented an update on progress with Place Making.  Mr Lamb gave a recap of the previous meeting including the output of the workshop led by Diarmaid Lawlor of Scottish Futures Trust; transforming joint working with communities; this being a multi-year programme so not everything could not be done at cones; and the central role of the Area Partnership in this process.  Feedback and input was required into the joint principles, the framework and the proposals for getting started and the proposed next steps.  Mrs Craig confirmed that feedback was being sought on an ongoing basis.  Overall the Council wanted to take a new approach to Place Making by working in a much more collaborative way than previously.  The first 7 proposed joint principles had come directly from conversations with Area Partnerships and the remaining principles had been included to add value.  Details were given on the proposed joint framework which built on existing work.  With regard to how initial communities could be identified, Mrs Craig advised that Place making should be seen as an evolving, rolling programme of work, with the ambition that all communities would be supported but with limited resources there had to be a priority order.  A matrix which included a number of aspects had been developed to potentially be used to prioritise communities and include smaller settlements.  In terms of resources, there were additional SBC posts which could be used to help communities and co-ordinate and align resources.  Feedback was sought by the end of October on the proposed joint principles and framework; the priorities; and the place making governance role.

3.2       Councillor Paterson commented that priorities may be regarded differently for those in different areas and asked how prioritisation would work in localities across the Area Partnerships.   Mrs Craig explained that it needed to be acknowledged that every community and its plan was different and there would be different ways to deal with priorities, and officers would work with each Area Partnership to make those decisions about their own communities.  Councillor Ramage referred to different ways of engaging the public e.g. the public was invited to develop ideas for the Hawick flood protection scheme, groups were arranged in a workshop and thus the public was involved.  Mr Kerr welcomed the fact that communities would have a part in this and asked about rural proofing.  It looked as though communities with an existing place plan were being prioritised  which would lead to a widening disparity and perhaps the focus should be on those communities with no plans.  Every area was different and all rural communities in particular should be invited to participate if they wished.  Mrs Craig referred to the Berwickshire Area Partnership that had considered some community councils working together to develop local plans.  The Council could look at supporting a town, a rural area or a combination of rural areas.  Ms Elborn advised that Newcastleton did not have a place plan but it did have a development strategy, which was a different thing entirely.  Ms Elborn expressed concern that older people would not be able to participate in the Citizen Space consultation and Mr Lamb explained that the intention at this stage was to target community groups with the Citizen Space survey and not the general public.  Ms Elborn asked that a range of methods be used as that may not be wholly representative of communities.  Ms Batsch emphasised the importance of considering the hinterland beyond towns which was fundamentally important to that town with a real symbiotic relationship with schools, shopping and GP surgeries, so using town or Community Council boundaries may not identify a true local area.  Mrs Craig thanked everyone for their comments and feedback which would help shape the Place making programme.   

            DECISION

            NOTED the update