Consultation Road Show by Greeninverness and The Highland Council Core Paths Plan
Working together Greeninverness and The Highland Council are preparing to carry out a City-wide community consultation exercise in October 2006. They hope to encourage people to give their views on their local greenspace and to identify the City’s most important paths. Additional funding for the consultation has been made available from Scottish Natural Heritage.
Fifteen drop-in sessions are planned to cover the whole City. Greeninverness will also have a display in the City Partnership Office at 20 Bank Street for the whole month of October, Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm where locals will have an opportunity to complete a questionnaire and add ask any questions or make additional comments. In addition to this online questionnaires will be available from the greeninverness website www.greeninverness.com and our website.
The aims of the consultation is to find out from local residents and communities:
• What they value most about their local greenspace?
• What paths are important and why?
• How they currently use the local greenspace?
• Would they like to see the area improved or developed?
• What improvement ideas they have.
Councillor Jimmy Gray, Highland Council’s Chairman of the Planning, Development Europe and Tourism Committee said: “For many residents and visitors the open green spaces are the defining characteristics of Inverness. Areas such as the Riverside, the Bught Park, the Canal and increasingly so the new walks and wooded areas such as Daviot, Culloden and the Great Glen Way. All important havens for leisure, wildlife and the environment. It is therefore critically important that we raise awareness and invest in these facilities so that future generations may also cherish and enjoy them.”
Debbie Maguire the Greeninverness Officer said: “We really want to reach as wide an audience as possible and by going out to different areas around the city we hope to encourage more involvement and participation.
“The results of the consultation will inform the development of a Greenspace Strategy for Inverness. It is vitally important that this reflects the desires of local people and I am hoping to achieve a good level of response.”
There are the added benefits to all those who get involved as there will be a number of free gifts and prize draws held at each event.
Stewart Eastaugh, access officer for Inverness and Nairn said: “In 2008 the Council has to produce a plan of selected, important paths for the whole area. Deciding what paths to include will heavily on people’s opinions so we need to give anyone who wants to contribute every opportunity to have their say.”
Throughout October, drop in sessions will be at: Hilton Community Centre on Tues 3rd, Smithton Hall on Wed 4th, Raigmore Community Centre on Thurs 5th, MP33 Office, Grant Street on Mon 9th, St John's Church Hall on Tue 10th, Muirtown Primary on Wed 11th,
Culduthel Hall on Mon 16th, Culloden Academy Community Centre on Tue 17th Oct, Cameron Youth Centre on Tue 24th, Drakies Primary on Wed 25th, Holm Primary on Thu 26th, and Muirtown Primary on Fri 27th all from 3.30pm – 7.30pm.
On Fri 6th, the drop in session will be at Inverness Leisure from 9.30am – 9.30pm; and it will be at Eastgate Shopping Centre on Sat 21st from 9am – 6pm, and again at the Shopping Centre on Sun 22nd from 10am – 5pm.
The schedule of dates and venues is available on the greeninverness website at www.greeninverness.com and the Council's website.
For further information please contact Debbie Maguire, Greeninverness Officer at the City Partnership Office, 20 Bank Street, Inverness, IV1 1QU, Tel: 01463 723545, Mob: 07879 667699, Fax: 01463 232253. Email: debbie.maguire@highland.gov.uk
Stewart Eastaugh, Access Office, Planning and Development Service, The Highland Council, North Tower, Inverness Castle, Inverness, IV2 3EG. Tel 01463 702186. Email: stewart.eastaugh@highland.gov.uk
Katy Martin, Senior Ranger for Inverness and Nairn, Planning and Development Service, The Highland Council, North Tower, Inverness Castle, Inverness, IV2 3EG, Tel: 01463 724312 Email: Katy.Martin@highland.gov.uk
Notes to editors:
Background information on Greeninverness availble on the website www.greeninverness.com
Greenspace defined in this context relates to land or water, which includes formal parks, public gardens and cemeteries, play areas, sports fields and recereation areas, or informal areas such as landscaped areas, riverside and canal corridoors, woodland and undeveloped wasteland.
Venues and times for the consultation road show are:
Venue Date Times
Hilton Community Centre Tue 3rd Oct 3.30pm – 7.30pm
Smithton Hall Wed 4th Oct 3.30pm – 7.30pm
Raigmore Community Centre Thu 5th Oct 3.30pm – 7.30pm
Inverness Leisure Fri 6th Oct 9.30am – 9.30pm
MP33 Office, Grant Street Mon 9th Oct 3.30pm – 7.30pm
St John's Church Hall Tue 10th Oct 3.30pm – 7.30pm
Muirtown Primary School Wed 11th Oct 3.30pm – 7.30pm
Culduthel Hall Mon 16th Oct 3.30pm – 7.30pm
Culloden Academy Community Centre Tue 17th Oct 3.30pm – 7.30pm
Eastgate Shopping Centre Sat 21st Oct 9am – 6pm
Eastgate Shopping Centre Sun 22nd Oct 10am – 5pm
Cameron Youth Centre Tue 24th Oct 3.30pm – 7.30pm
Drakies Primary School Wed 25th Oct 3.30pm – 7.30pm
Holm Primary School Thu 26th Oct 3.30pm – 7.30pm
Muirtown Primary School Fri 27th Oct 3.30pm – 7.30pm