We want to hear your thoughts on the work done to date, and help to
build the next steps of the Plan for Peebles.
Building upon the first draft of the
Peebles Town Action Plan, shared with us by the Peebles Placemaking
Team and publicly available on the Scottish Borders Council
website, this consultation will look at stress-testing the
initiatives brought forward by the Peebles Placemaking Team to
gather feedback from the public and key stakeholders, and to
investigate whether there are any gaps in the initial findings and
proposals.
On this page you can find details on how to get involved to share
your thoughts and visions.
We have planned a series of in-person events, workshops and High
Street pop-ups - scroll to the bottom of the page to find out how
to talk to us. In case you can't meet us in person, we have
prepared a series of digital questions to allow you to look at the
intiatives and share your thoughts with us!
Projects & Initiatives
Based on the above themes and strategic
ambitions, the Peebles Placemaking Team identified a number of
initiatives for inclusion in the Plan
for Peebles. When assessing these initiatives, New
Practice noted how each responds to similar issues and noted
patterns. Looking at the themes, ambitions, and the actions each of
the project responds to, New Practice have catalogued the
initiatives into Four Streams: A Fair Community;
Sustainable Growth; Getting
Around; and, Open for Business; which
group overlapping proposals.
Each Stream includes the project themes and the project strategic
ambitions, based on the initiatives they represent. Together, the
Four Streams encompass the whole of the goals and priorities set by
the Placemaking Team, based on Peebles community needs and visions
for future developments.
In the following sections, you will have the opportunity to dig
deeper into each of the four streams, commenting on the initiatives
that interest you, and to highlight whether you think something
else should be included in the Plan for
Peebles!
For each of the four workstreams there is a
set of questions which will open when click on 'Share your
Thoughts' button below the short descriptions of the projects, and
cover all of the projects presented under that stream.
In the final tab: 'About You & Final Thoughts' you will
find a series of demographic questions, which are based on the
Scottish Government guidelines, please fill this out as it allows
us to confirm that we have heard from a representative sample of
the Peebles community. This is anonymous and cannot be linked to
any of your previous question responses.
In this final tab you will also find an open question box in which
you can share any final thoughts, concerns or any edits/changes to
previously submitted questions for the projects.
To improve happiness and wellbeing in
Peebles, mental and physical, by promoting an equal, fair and
resilient community.
The ‘Fair Community’
stream focuses on building a shared sense of community for every
person in Peebles. Directly addressing inequality in the town by
improving access to services for all, developing the social and
economic infrastructure of Peebles, and offering new opportunities
and spaces for learning, upskilling, and socialising - for
everyone.
A 'Far Community' reflects the Key Themes of: Empowerment,
Place and Quality of Life; and, the Core Strategic Ambitions of:
Re-balancing and Improving Access to Services for Everyone.
The following projects and initiatives have
been identified under the 'Fair Community' stream, responding to
the overarching goals and working towards creating a safer
community. You can click into each one to find out more and give us
your thoughts:
Town Centre Regeneration
Reimagining
Peebles Town Centre for everyone, regenerating public spaces,
refurbishing and maximising the use of surrounding cultural and
public buildings.
Fields sports infrastructure
upgrade
To maximise the
use of existing amenities in Peebles and upgrade sports facilities
at Whitestone Park and Violet Bank to enhance the experience for
visitors and athletes and increase community
participation.
South Peebles social and economic
infrastructure
To rebalance
the expansion of Peebles, planning for more provision of social and
economic infrastructure south of the river, making it easier to get
around, and creating a social hub where all generations can meet
and socialise.
Peebles Community Hospital
The creation of
a Community Hospital to provide additional services and to cater
for an ageing and growing population. The Community Hospital would
complement / add to the services provided by the Hay Lodge House
Medical Centre and Hospital.
Life-long learning skills development and
training
To provide the
community opportunities to train and upskill in disciplines which
will lead to local jobs, and to provide local groups with learning
opportunities to build capacity.
Green and food security
Provide more
allotment space to support community growing projects with a focus
on tackling food poverty and biodiversity loss while supporting
conservation efforts.
Review of public and community indoor
space
To develop a
vision for the reuse and refurbishment of buildings, to ensure a
variety of services (sporting, cultural and retail) is provided, to
avoid duplication and to foster collaboration, so that investment
decisions are better informed.
Sustainable Growth
The development of a 20 year plan to steer
and direct Peebles’ rapid expansion, mitigating the effects of
climate change and biodiversity loss, so that Peebles of the future
is a place we all want to live.
The ‘Sustainable Growth’ stream’s
initiatives promote a socially and environmentally sustainable
expansion of Peebles. It includes housing, energy, and
infrastructural initiatives to ensure any future developments in
Peebles are for the people of Peebles.
Sustainable Growth reflects the Key Themes of: Net Zero and
Place; and, the Core Strategic Ambitions of: Re-balancing, Build
Housing for Everyone, and Improve Energy Efficiency.
The following projects and initiatives have
been identified under the 'Sustainable Growth' stream, responding
to the overarching goals and working towards creating a 20 year
plan for the settlement of Peebles. You can click into each one to
find out more and give us your thoughts:
Low cost, low rent housing
Overcome the
lack of affordable housing in Peebles, supporting the provision of
a mix of housing and accommodation which are accessible to all, to
rebalance community wellbeing and to build a sustainable and
resilient future for the people of Peebles.
Energy generation, reducing demand and
energy efficiency
Reduce energy
use and better manage energy demand in Peebles, reducing fuel
poverty, advancing energy savings and achieving community owned
energy generation.
Peebles second bridge
Build a second
bridge to reduce traffic pressure and cater for future
expansion.
Flood defence scheme
Develop a
flood defence scheme to reduce the intensity of flooding events in
Peebles, safeguarding the town’s future, mitigating the effects of
the climate crisis while enhancing biodiversity.
Getting Around
To create a safer, healthier town, improving
connectivity and making it easier to get around.
The ‘Getting Around’ stream focuses on
improving accessibility by creating new connections, and improving
existing ones, to facilitate people’s everyday journeys, with a
focus on promoting walking, wheeling, and cycling.
Getting Around reflects the Key Themes of: Net Zero, Place and
Quality of Life; and, the Core Strategic Ambitions of: Improve
Access to Services for Everyone.
The following projects and initiatives have
been identified under the 'Getting Around' stream, responding to
the overarching goal. You can click into each one to find out more
and give us your thoughts:
Active Travel
Continue to
implement active travel infrastructure to make walking, wheeling
and cycling a more attractive and safe experience for
all.
Hay Lodge Park / riverside active
travel
Improve access
to Hay Lodge Park, upgrading existing paths and providing new
routes, to enhance connection to the River Tweed.
Open for Business
To support economic development through the
creation of new enabling infrastructure, assisting local people to
participate and benefit.
The ‘Open for Business’ stream includes
initiatives which focus on supporting employment growth by
attracting new businesses, whilst catering for the existing home
working community and small businesses in Peebles.
Open for Business reflects the Key Theme of Economy; and, the Core
Strategic Ambitions of: Re-balancing and Create Local Jobs.
The following projects and initiatives have
been identified under the 'Open for Business' stream, responding to
the overarching goal. You can click into each one to find out more
and give us your thoughts:
Expand Peebles economic footprint
including the new business park / light industry
estate
Promote major
investment in the economic infrastructure of Peebles, incorporating
the newly proposed commercial business site in the Eshiels area,
and ensuring this is well serviced.
Open for Business
Marketing
Peebles as a business destination, to attract more businesses,
providing the supporting infrastructure and spaces to encourage the
creation of start-ups and the relocation of businesses to Peebles,
whilst catering for small local businesses and the home working
community.
Peebles Creative Industries Cluster
Develop a Creative Industries Cluster, to
be located at the proposed new Eshiels industrial estate, to
promote Peebles as a Creative Hub and to complement and expand on
the existing cluster of people working in the creative
arts.
Want to speak to us in-person?
We will be hosting workshops, drop-in
sessions and outdoor pop-ups in late April and early May.
You are welcome to join us at these sessions to discuss the
projects and initiatives above in more detail.
Outdoor pop-ups and drop-ins are informal sessions you can attend
at any point within the given time.
The community workshop is an in-depth event, and you must register
to attend as spaces are limited.
Follow the link in the event to Eventbrite where you can
sign-up!
We look forward to meeting you!
Drop-In, Monday 29th April, 5 - 7pm
School Brae Hub
Outdoor Pop-Up, Tuesday 30th April, 11am -
1pm
High Street [outside]
Drop-In, Tuesday 30th April, 2.30 -
4.30pm
Drill Hall Lounge
