26/8/2008Final report on the Dalry Town Centre Strategy
- Improving retail and visitor areas
- Boosting enterprise
- Improving the quality of the town
In order to boost enterprise a brand identity will be developed.
To improve the quality of the town a number of projects will be introduced:
- Environmental improvements at the cross eg new paviors, street furniture and open events spaces
- Main Street pavements widened and lighting improved
- Access and landscaping at Roche Way Gardens to provide a more open, safe and accessible route to the town centre
- Kirk Close car park extended and refurbished for more user-friendly parking site close to town centre
- A Shop Front Improvement Scheme to allow business owners to enhance the exterior of their properties in line with the Conservation Area designation
- New signage to indicate places of interest, cultural and historical sites and general directions
- Relocation of the fountain from the Cross to an alternative site within the town centre
Ian Snodgrass, North Ayrshire Council Chief Executive said: "By agreeing to the proposed projects, the Council will make significant progress in impacting on trade and economy in Dalry, structure and physical environment, civic pride, supporting town centre trade and community groups, aesthetics, accessibility and public safety."
The above is subject to agreement by the Council's Scrutiny Committee.
Statement by North Ayrshire Council.
- This is wonderful news for Dalry. But I wish some extra money was allocated for CCTV cameras to be installed throughout the towncentre to stop any crimes such as vandalism or anti-social behaviour from taking place. However, we must remain grateful and be thankful for what we are about to receive out of North Ayrshire's budget. Maybe there could be a grant available from the National Lottery or some kind of community funding scheme to help pay for CCTV. A street market in Dalry Cross may be a great idea to boost the number of shoppers to shop, but that also may affect established trade that is already within the town. A farmer's market would be a great idea to have in Dalry selling freshly and locally sourced food.
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Yes, I agree with Billy. CCTV would make a big improvement. We need to identify known troublemakers and keep them off the streets. The only reason the fountain needs to be moved from the Cross (which is its original location) is because it has been vandalised. Public safety should be the number 1 aim on any 'project' list to be funded and not last.
The biggest problem Dalry has with the above is the amount of youngsters that congregate in the Cross, especially on a Friday and Saturday night. The trouble is, there is nowhere for these youngsters to go. Maybe there needs to be something put in place to set up some kind of youth club and/or meeting place for them. There could be activities and sports set up whereby the have something to do and places to go other than the town centre with the obligatory 'cairry oot'. The new school may be an ideal place as there could be football/hockey played there, plus there is a gym that could be used to vent their frustrations on a set of weights rather than the Fountain or any unlucky passer by.
Yes, £300,000 would be good to make Dalry look nicer, but what good is that if the only people walking about in it are the buckie brigade and their cider wielding wenches!!
- Thanks Bill, maybe if more people use this site to protest about wanting to have CCTV in the town would put in their comments on this site might stir something into action like getting locals into arranging a petition to get it and encouraging more people to set up youth clubs. There are kids who are bored out there and would rather have something to do than drink and cause mayhem. They need that chance. They even could be the next Chris Hoy!!!!
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To both Bills,
I agree 110% with you both, but the big problem is that even "IF" you give the youths of today a place to go, I can bet you that within a couple of weeks the place would be wrecked or burnt down by rival gangs, they don't seem to be interested in anything else other than "Buckie" or a good bevie and a fight.
I think that the question of "What do they want" should be put to them.
OK you are going to get stupid answers from 75% of them but the chance to answer the question should be put to them first instead of the people of Dalry trying to think of something for them.
As to the CCTV, yes great idea but the running cost to repair the cams after the yobs have broken them?!!
How about a more regular police attendance: We pay for them to be there so why are they not there along with the CCTV.
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I think you may be a little wrong in what you said Stef. The kids are crying out for something to do. If an organisation is set up in the town for young people and was properly run with the right people and affordable membership you will find the youngsters will respect it. Yes ask them of course what they want, speak to them as equals not down to them, and you get that respect. Sit and do nothing and you remain an old fuddy-duddy and you don't get rid of the anti-social problem. You have to be seen to do something to help them have an interest, get them away from the street corners with their carry-outs. There are already laws to stop the selling of alcohol to under-agers and also applies to shop-keepers to apply that law, but in the end they sell due to GREED. Shop-keepers are ADULTS and should take the blame for not living up to their responsibilities. So don't sit back and start to blame nearly all the youngsters for all of the youngster's anti-social behaviour.
This town used to have quite a lot of youth organisations at one time, not so long ago, such as The Boys' Brigade, Girl Guides, 3 cinemas (although not all at the same time). Of course that's all considered old fashioned now, but wasn't when I was growing up in the 70's or 80's. There is a healthy membership of the local Angling club and youth football teams. There is the new school that can provide new clubs for them. Ask them what they want, provide the facilities on a trial basis, if it works then good, if it does not then it will fold. But don't sit back and moan when a bored youngster out of their mind smashes or vandalises your property just because he never got to do something he wanted because some lazy adult could not be bothered doing something to help them. Sounds like the smug "I am all right Jack never mind them" attitude. You are never going to get more police on the streets because that money is not getting invested into public services like the police because more people are more interested in tax cuts.
You need to have a more positive vision Stef and don't be so negative about young people, they all need to be given a chance in their lives to have a purpose to live. Not all young people are bad. Maybe you should take up teacher training, but I don't think you are cut out for that. I think you may be part of the "sit back and do nothing brigade". As for CCTV that is needed, as the police can't be everywhere at the one-time. They also rely on joe public to report incidents they witness.
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Well Bill, I do feel a little put down and hurt by your comments on what I said.
I was trying to point out that it seems that the youth of today don't want what the community can and hopefully will offer them. I'm not an old fuddy duddy, far from it, and I most definitely don't have a negative attitude. I have in the past worked with a lot of teens and have a rough idea what they are like. I would not have made any comment to what you or the other Bill had said if I was one of the "Sit back and do nothing brigade".
I'm ready and willing to help in any way, offer suggestions, and go out and do it not sit and talk about it.
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Sorry if you thought my comments were a bit strong Stef and feel a little put out. I am sure it wasn't intentional. We have to remember we were all young ourselves at one point in our lives. When we were young, there was more to do than available now. Now that we are older it seems that our generation doesn't want to help youngsters one little bit. There are young folk good and bad in every community and other communities have successful youth clubs etc. going strong, even in big cities, so WHY not in DALRY?
Young people don't all want to be tarred with the same brush if some of their other peer group members go off the rail and get into trouble. The youngsters who behave should not lose out because of others. As I said give the kids a chance and if it is successful then it is all good, if bad then it folds then you can criticise it all. I rather see kids be happy doing something they like doing rather taking their boredom out on someone else's property like their cars, as that has happened to my friend in the not too distant past. Sure you're always going to get the trouble makers but that's the same with every generation. There are laws to deal with anti-social behaviour that the police and courts need to deal with more firmly. We need to punish the shop keepers who sell underagers alcoholic drink or those adults who buy it for them. Adults should know better, but we still end up blaming the kids for all their anti-social behaviour. If they didn't get their hands on the alcohol then we would not have the same problems. That way we can reclaim the streets for everyone.
People are walking around will-nilly drinking alcohol openly from all types of vessels and causing all sorts of disturbances in the early hours of the night but nothing gets done. A few weeks ago I caught someone using my garden as a public lavatory. I am sick to the back teeth with it. I have a right to be angry about it, things have gone too far. I want to be able to live my life in Dalry as peacefully as I can, in a nice environment and feel safe to go about and do my daily business like most other people want. I want the youngsters to be out doing positive things that's good for them and the community, and I want to see CCTV as they can be erected high up out of reach of yobs. We have already suffered at the hands of yobs through the temporary closure of the library because of vandalism. How much more should we have to put up with before OUR town centre ends up a no-go area Stef? If the ringleaders of all the yobs were prosecuted and punish them hard, then we would have a better community. I am glad to hear you are willing to do something about it.
I apologise for saying that you were a member of the "sit back and do nothing brigade". But I have heard all this negativity before from people about young folk but they ain't all that bad. As Bill Bailey said they could take their frustrations out on weights at a gym or join the local Karate/Judo clubs. As I say we all need to be more positive about today's youth, be more tolerant, more patient with them. And if they do step out of line, then they should pay the price for their actions.
In fact, (just a thought) a youth club with local ties with James Watt College in Kilwinning to help kids into further education or training would be a good idea to have in Dalry. That way it might keep them active doing a course that's either educational, career driven or something to do in their leisure time. I would also like to help in any way too as it would keep me active too.
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Maybe if the parents/guardians of trouble-making youths took more responsibilty or they get punished you may find a difference in their attitudes.
Anyway Stef, this column is about £300,000 grant given to Dalry for the refurbishment of our towncentre, not anti-social behaviour by youths, so perhaps we are straying away a little far from what the Dalry Town Centre Strategy Report is all about?!!!
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Points taken Billy Young, maybe I/we have been side tracked. Also Billy Young I totally agree with all your comments.
Let's just hope that someone reads what we have all been saying and give the youths, (and us) a chance to show what they and us can do for them.
- Very funny Stef. You have written some valid points too.
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David Figgins says:
I think you all made some excellent and valid points. It seems that the problems of youth and the solutions are not that uncommon from decades ago.
I believe they need to have the respect and chance to have something that takes them off the wrong path (a small majority I may add) but the law abiding people of the town also need to feel safe.
It's an age old, country wide issue.
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Send the persistant young offenders to the army. The effect would be twofold, it would mean they are off our streets and it would also mean a bit of discipline would be instilled. A taste of real life would be an ideal wake up call. This is just an idea, possibly a bit controversial, but it could make a career for them other than the train wreck that threatens if they stay in the town.
As for the actual point of this debate, any money injected into Dalry would be gratefully received. We live here through choice remember!!
- You are absolutely correct Bill, sending them to the armed forces would be ideal. If they had to face going to Iraq or any other trouble spot they might grow up a bit instead of causing war on their own homefront. It's up to the government to stop being soft with offenders, the right solutions are there. Unfortunatley, the UK has gone too politically correct when it comes to human rights issues.
- Wouldn't it be nice if the new showpiece Dalry Primary School and Nursery School Campus opened their doors on a non-school day to the public of Dalry someday to showcase the wonderful new facilities it now provides to the community? It would be nice to be shown around it especially if you were an ex-pupil which were taught in the old buildings that are now resigned to the history books or memories. It would be nice to see how modern education of today's children is compared to that of the past. The look of the town as we know it is changing and it would be great to try and connect the new with the past.
- It would be nice if the Scout Hall was also given some help. It's a great venue, used by a number of groups and it is fairly cheap to hire unlike the vastly over-priced council halls. Maybe a group could be set up to help them as well.
- As for the nice new school, from where I live it's an eye-sore. on the outside. The constant problems with the alarms are making the lives of people who live close by a misery. HArdly a night passes that one or other of the alarms doesn't sound. I don't want you to think that I grip all the time. The idea of CCTV for the town is long overdue, it is essential. Perhaps when the town is refurbished it will attract more shops to open. All good for Dalry which has been neglected for many years.
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Sandra, about the new school. I haven't seen round it yet, but from the other side it looks really good and a big come up from what was there before. I do think there's some landscaping needing done around the car park which is up to the education dept and the school to sort it out. It's a great modern and bright learning environment for kids.
I watched an episode of BBC's Beechgrove Garden where the presenters visited the new educational campus in Rothesay (Isle of Bute) where pupils created their own community garden. This would be an excellent idea for other schools in the country to adopt, learning new skills. If you missed the episode you can possibly watch it again on BBC I-Player. Dalry Primary School could do this if they had the cash and maybe improve Sandra's view of the school from her own back yard.
As for the alarm sounding off at night, I hope this is only a temporary glitch and the alarm gets fixed so that Sandra and other residents get a good night's sleep!!!!
- Nice to know that The Library has re-opened in the town and that members of the library have been notified by the council by letter. Many thanks to North Ayrshire Council for letting us know, so give credit where credit is due. I need to pay a visit to it soon. The library plays a very important role in our lives and our communiry and it is there for everyone regardless who they are. Thank you once again.
- I've stayed in Dalry for 8 years now and seen various changes and also would put some ideas forward, like we need a petrol station and a police station, every other town has them. Too many pubs and takeaway shops, do we need 2 chipshops,or 5/6 pubs? Yes too cctv,and places for the young and teens to go and hang out, will the new aldi store have competition from the co-op? Good to see the library opening up, we don't all have internet! I would love to see the plan for a bypass go through as the traffic is horrendous at morning rush and tea time. I remember when the whole road out of Dalry going east was being resurfaced and they shut it off completely, and how quiet and peaceful it was. Thank you again.
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Hello G welcome to this debate about Dalry.
Yes you are right we do need a petrol station and hopefully someone with a business mind would open one in the town. The problem is that petrol retailers make very little profit in selling fuel, it is a sideline shop that makes the profit. So starting a new one would be hard. Most of the fuel prices goes into duty/vat for the government then it's the oil company, then the petrol station owner has to sell his fuel at the price the oil company tells him to, which leaves no room for much profit.
We do need a better police presence to combat anti-social behaviour, but the kids need somewhere to go as well, preferably not a police cell but a youth club. Actually I think it's not the pubs that are the problem in the town, these are well-respected businesses that keep the town alive and play an important part of in the town's functions. There used to be a lot more pubs in the town years ago, all gone. No alcoholic drink can be controlled in these places depending on the owner but they all have to follow the law: that they can't serve people underage or already drunk. The problem is cheap alcohol from off-licences and supermarkets or taking it from other older people or from their parents' house. That's where the kids get the drink from. That's where the bother comes from.
Now that the town is to be regenerated, there is talk of a market and shop properties new car parking extensions to be created with signage. We have a lot of food take-aways which provide people with a choice and an income for people who work in them or own them. They can be a bit smelly at times walking by them. But isn't that like every other high street these days? I am glad you agree on CCTV and that it is a priority for the town centre.
West Kilbride is known as a Craft Town throughout Scotland, maybe Dalry could do something similar such as a Book Town or have a farmers market etc?
Yes, I agree with you about the library being reopened that the internet services it provides are really good for those who don't have a computer. It provides a very good public service to the whole community if only the vandals would leave it alone. If anyone sees anyone vandalising public or private property they should report it to the Police or Crimestoppers. We all suffered when the library had to close, so we cannot let them off with it again.
It's a Lidl store we are getting in Dalry, we were not successful in bringing Aldi to Dalry. I agree with you on the by-pass too. Good valid points you made G.
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Many nearby Ayrshire towns have CCTV. If the council refuses to pay for a camera, why don't we start a fund? The camera shouldn't cost much to maintain as North Ayrshire council already has someone monitoring the existing system. Surely local business leaders could help fund this as it could help prevent crime and encourage more people to venture into the town.
The news of grants available is fantastic news I hope these are successful. What does the council propose we do with the number of empty premises such as the WYSIWYG shop and the Police house, to list but a few. These premises do really take away from the town and could easily give the impression to visitors that business can't thrive in Dalry, which is not the case.
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It is obvious that most people who appear to write on this subject agree there should be CCTV cameras installed throughout the town centre. Surely if people paid a few more extra pence on their council tax this could pay for the cameras and their up-keep. If councillors had to ask council tax payers if they were in favour of paying a little extra council tax to finance CCTV cameras in Dalry and throughout North Ayrshire, then I think the majority would be in favour of this worthwhile cause. Still, it is worthwhile seeing if grants could cover this too.
Good to see that there is a lot of people who care about the state of the town. We are quick to criticise the negatives, forgetting that Dalry has a lot of positive things happening too and not any different from anywhere else. Events organised throughout the year such as those organised by Dalry Action Group i.e. Dalry Civic Week, Party In The Park and The Christmas Lights create a good sense of community amongst its citizens and keep the traders happy too. We have got to be thankful for that.
- How come the bypass is being held up it was on the cards before the election.
- Change of government at Holyrood Dan is to blame. Allan Wilson, the former Labour MSP for Cunninghame North, had it in his election manifesto. Unfortunately, he lost by a few votes to Kenneth Gibson of the SNP. The SNP don't see vital road building in the same way, so it is being delayed AGAIN. That is democracy for you. Maybe Dan you should contact Mr Gibson and ask why. I personally don't think he has done much in his first 12 months as our local MSP as you never hear of him. Allan Wilson for Labour did a lot for the area and all he got was a kick in the teeth. Time for the SNP to explain why the Dalry Bypass is now on the back-burner. Och well, if they don't deliver there is alway's the chance that the electorate will get rid of them next election.
- Billy, can you tell me what Allan Wilson did for the area? Also the by-pass has been on the cards for more than 30 years, Kenneth Gibson can't wave a magic wand and have it done overnight. Brian Wilson had in his manifesto a roundabout at the Gateside/Beith junction, no sign of it even after years of a Labour MSP and Labour MP before that. I really feel that this page should not be used for putting forward petty political points. However, suffice to say that Kenneth Gibson bought and paid for the board which is supporting Dalry Thistle FC, Allan Wilson only ordered it then left Dalry Thistle with the bill. He deserved everything he got.
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Sandra, I am not using s1dalry for petty political statements. I am not interested in petty political points. I am just stating fact. People who are voters and taxpayers EXPECT politicians to DELIVER their manifesto PROMISES. Not squabbles. That's what turns me off about politics just like the reason why nobody can be bothered to turn upto vote at important elections.
Still no answer to why the A737 Dalry by-pass is on the back burner. I know fare well the planning of the Dalry by-pass has been going on for decades. Labour had the all the planning/legal matters in place before the last Scottish Parliamentary election. But it is up to the SNP to get on with it and deliver, and if they don't deliver then people want to know why. I do not know anything about what happened with what Allan Wilson did with Dalry Thistle. But with no offence to Dalry Thistle, I think that the by-pass is more of a pressing matter for the people who live in this town, including the safety of Children crossing our busy roads.
I can tell you that Allan Wilson brought about the Three Towns by-pass, Radio City in Kilbirnie, New Battery Manufacturing Base in Glengarnock bringing hundreds of jobs, Tesco to Kilbirnie, regeneration to the Garnock Valley, free OAP/Disabled, the new Dalry Primary School, Dalry Nursery School and James Watt College North Ayrshire Annex in Kilwinning just to name a few Sandra. And finally, free childcare after school care and free nursery care to those aged 3 & 4 years old. Yes all that even though he held a top Scottish Executive Cabinet post at the SAME time.
So tell me and others what has Kenneth done in the past 12 months Sandra?
- Another thing I would want to mention was that the last Scottish Parliament Elections was an absolute farce and shambles, and I do hope that it does not ever happen again in a supposed democratic country like Scotland, which was the fault of the Scottish Office and not any political party. There should have been a re-election after that farce.
- I just spotted that I missed out about the OAP/ Disabled travel on buses throughout Scotland. Bad grammar on my part due to my part rushing to type!
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As I said it's not a place to air politics, I suggest however that you check your facts before you give Allan Wilson credit for anything.
Tesco came to Kilbirnie because they saw a niche in the market, Radio City is a disaster eating up loads of money, he had nothing to do with the schools being built. The old schools were in a state and they were built without PFI because they were needed. Surprising that it took Labour 30+ years to have the plans in place for the bypass, why not build it when they had the chance. It was spoken about long before the 3 towns bypass was ever thought about.
The farce of the the election was caused by the Scottish Office which was at the time run by London Labour's Douglas Alexander. Don't you think that another election after the farce would have put more voters off. Not all ballots were destroyed by mistake. I was at the count and I saw the spoiled ballots. I also saw the spoiled brat that stomped around when he lost the seat. Much the same as the rest of the Labour Party are in denial about losing the support of Scotland. Considering Labour were in power in Scotland for more than ten years, they achieved very little, but the London Labour (Scotland) group expect the SNP to do everything within a year. The people of Scotland having had a taste of something different will no longer allow themselves to be taken for granted and I say good for them.
I will not enter into any further political discussions. I will and do support the work that Kenneth has done even just in Dalry. Support to keep the Post Office open, the Dream Committee, trying to get CCTV in the town etc. Attending meeting of the Blair association. The upgrade of the town centre. All the hundreds of problems he has people come and see him about at his numerous surgeries. Those are the things that interest most people. Also getting the teeny drinkers off the street, making the town safe to walk in at night.
- He hasn't got teeny drinkers off the street, the town centre upgrade is nothing to do with him, we've not got CCTV and how do you know he's solved any problems. The bypass keeps getting put off, as does the upgrades to the Beith bypass, the Lochshore project has disappeared, the flood prevention works all disappear while your man seems to write parliamentary motions about everything and anything other than the area he's supposed to represent. He can attend all the meetings and promise the earth, but has delivered sod all.
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Sandra I beg to differ about what you say Allan Wilson did for this area. I am not interested in national politics or petty party politics whatsoever, I am only interested in local issues about Dalry and the surrounding area. What is important is that the SNP is in Government now and it is they who are answerable to the electorate, even on local issues about the Dalry by-pass? People who are contributing to this site are asking what has happened to the Dalry by-pass and why it is being delayed? Labour had all this nearly at the planning/development stages, now it is up to your Party, which is in power, to tell us why our new road is being delayed.
You say Labour have been planning this for the last 30 years. Come off it Sandra, 18 years of that have been in opposition while the Conservatives were in power, Labour have only been in power for 11 years. The Labour Party were always getting it in the neck from the SNP while they were 18 years in opposition, yet you talk of the SNP being in power for only one year getting it in the neck from the Labour Party. Three words Sandra, POT, KETTLE and BLACK spring to mind! Labour has done more for this area than any other party for the people and Allan Wilson, Katy Clark and Brian Wilson were responsible. The thing is the Three Towns By-pass was delivered by a Labour Government post 1997 and Dalry was next on the cards to get its by-pass. The difference between Labour and the SNP is that Labour delivered locally and still had a lot of work to do. So why is the Dalry By-pass now on the back burner? I think Radio City is doing okay now after teething troubles and I am a member who now goes there on a regular basis to use its facilities. It is an important asset to the wellbeing and health of the Garnock Valley Community.
Allan Wilson helped smooth the way alongside North Ayrshire Council to pave the way to help create about 200 jobs to build Tesco. Where did you think the money came from to build the new Dalry Primary School and other new schools throughout North Ayrshire? Yes it was The Scottish Parliament where Allan Wilson helped. Yes it was Douglas Alexander's fault but the last election was an experiment that back-fired on Labour when it all went pear shaped. Yes there should have been a re-election. Wasn't there a lot of missing ballot papers! Now thats enough of party politics from me as well, before I bore everyone with it all.
My number one priority is Dalry because I care about it. I have lived in Dalry all my life and I wish to see it being improved for all those who live and work in the town and try to iron out and solve the problems which the town currently has.
- Finally, the only reason the SNP is in government is because of the protest vote against Labour because of the Iraqi War and a low turnout of voters. That's enough of politics from me. I shall just be discussing Dalry issues from now on in s1dalry. Thank heavens!!!