Residents and members of the local business community in Elderslie came together at an event to share their ideas for a project that aims to reimagine the public spaces on a section of the village’s Main Road.
Sustrans Scotland is working in partnership with the community to collaboratively reimagine Main Road’s public space, with support from Renfrewshire Council.
The ‘Elderslie for Everyone’ project asks local residents, businesses and all who have an interest in the area to come together to create and design improvements.
Sustrans Scotland hosted the event at Elderslie Village Hall in August, where experts were on hand to provide technical knowledge and support the 60 residents and representatives of the local business community who attended to submit their thoughts to make the streets more vibrant, enhance the walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure, and generally make the area a more attractive place to live, work and visit.
All were invited to contribute ideas during workshops using a scale model of the area in order to come up with design solutions together to issues identified in the previous Discover event which took place in April.
The team will now take all of the feedback and data accrued and use it to inform the next design stage.
To ensure that any improvements are designed with the local community, Sustrans Scotland will continue to carry out community surveys, meet with businesses and local community groups in-person, deliver workshops with local schools, engage with elected members and hold further public engagement events in the village.
Details about the next public engagement event will be mailed locally and posted on social media and the project website at www.elderslieforeveryone.co.uk
The project is focussing on the on-road section of the National Cycle Network which runs from the near the old railway station to opposite Wallace Court Residential Care Home – and includes the green space in Stoddard Square near Elderslie Coffee Shop – and will bring the community on board from the ideas phase to completion of a finalised design.
Marion Eele, Project Lead, Co-Design, Sustrans Scotland, said: “Thank you to everyone who came to Elderslie Village Hall to learn more about Elderslie for Everyone and take part in our workshops to come up with design solutions to issues identified in the Discover phase.
“It was a fantastic opportunity for the Sustrans Scotland team and our project partners Renfrewshire Council to understand the community’s vision for the area.
“Anyone who was unable to make it can see the design objectives and learn more about the findings on the project website.
“The project team will collate all community feedback before presenting findings at a future date.”
Councillor Michelle Campbell, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, said: “The Elderslie for Everyone project is a great example of the benefits of working in partnership with the local community to improve the area.
“Local people understand their community better than anyone and I’m so encouraged to see so many of them get involved in the project workshops and play an active role in developing ideas for the Main Road public spaces in Elderslie.
“Along with the local community, I look forward to seeing the proposals for how this project will be taken forward in the future.”
Elderslie for Everyone is funded by the Scottish Government through Sustrans Scotland’s National Cycle Network Urban programme.
Photo: The event at Elderslie Villiage Hall
Photo Credit: Erika Stevenson / Sustrans
How can the Elderslie community get involved?
- The project partners will be running engagement activities and workshops with community groups throughout the year. Details will be published on the project website.
- Comments can be submitted via email at elderslie@sustrans.org.uk or via post to Sustrans Scotland, 1 Exchange Crescent, Conference Square, Edinburgh, EH3 8RA.
- Alternatively, you can call 0131 346 1384 and ask for a callback from the Elderslie for Everyone team.