This free half-day SURF Awards workshop event in Glasgow provides an opportunity to explore successful current approaches towards place based regeneration with three winning projects from both the ‘Most Improved Town’ and ‘Creative Regeneration’ categories highlighted in the 2015 SURF Awards process.
SURF and the Scottish Government work together to identify and highlight excellence and innovation in initiatives that address social and economic challenges in disadvantaged communities through the annual SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration.
Workshop guests will firstly hear from project representatives in the ‘Most Improved Large Town’ category winner Kilmarnock. East Ayrshire council responded to significant economic decline by implementing an Integrated Urban Development Plan. This Plan has created a town centre that meets the needs of its diverse stakeholders and provides an attractive environment for people to live, work and socialise.
This will be followed by input from the ‘Most Improved Small/Medium Town’ winner Barrhead. In 2012 East Renfrewshire Council launched the Barrhead Regeneration Initiative to promote a long-term growth strategy with town centre regeneration, economic activity and improved health and housing as the key priorities. As a result the town centre is now well-served with amenities and services.
Finally, attendees will hear from the ‘Creative Regeneration’ category winner Laurieston Open Spaces. Based in Glasgow the Open Spaces project was derived and led by arts organisation WAVEparticle, in conjunction with New Gorbals Housing Association and Urban Union, as an artist-led strategy to complement a new city housing development in the Laurieston area of the city. The strategy provided a wide variety of creative projects and engagement opportunities for new and existing local residents to participate in.
The SURF Awards ‘Most Improved Town’ judging panel team – comprising representatives of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, Royal Town Planning Institute Scotland, Architecture + Design Scotland, PAS, Heads of Planning Scotland, and the Scottish Government – were particularly enthused by the value in all four projects’ approaches, and the potential of replication to other town centres. The SURF Awards ‘Creative Regeneration’ judging panel team – comprising of Craft Town Scotland, Creative Scotland, North Edinburgh Arts, and the Scottish Government – were impressed by levels of engagement with the wider community by all three shortlisted projects in this category. The judges will be participating in the workshop, which also features a discussion session and networking lunch, to help draw out transferable lessons from the participating projects.
The event will close with a short input from Scotland’s Towns Partnership looking at the work they are currently undertaking to represent and promote the diversity of our towns and places, and support organisations and groups that have an interest in or ownership of them.
Programme
09:45am Welcome and Coffee
10:15am Introduction: Andy Milne, Chief Executive, SURF
10:25am Presentation, Kilmarnock: Andy Colvin, Dot Grieve and Karl Doroszenko East Ayrshire Council
10:40am Presentation, Barrhead: Gillian McNamara, East Renfrewshire Council
10:55am Presentation, Laurieston Open Spaces: Peter McCaughey and Lizzy O’Brien, WAVEparticle
11:10am Open Discussion, Questions and Comments with members of the SURF Awards Judging Panel
12:10pm Presentation, Scotland’s Towns Partnership: Craig McLaren, STP and RTPI Scotland
12:20pm Summary and Thanks: Andy Milne
12:30pm Networking Lunch
About the SURF Awards
Please visit www.scotregen.co.uk for more information on the SURF Awards and the outcomes of the 2015 process.
Places are free but numbers are limited. To reserve a place please complete the booking form. If you have any queries or difficulties with this please contact Emma Scott, Information and Communications Officer, [email protected] or 0141 4406392
Supporting Scotland's Towns
Supporting Scotland's Towns