Neilston Town Charter.Pdf
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NEILSTON RENAISSANCE TOWN CHARTER JUNE 2009 COVER IMAGE A vision for Main Street, Neilston. By Richard Carman for Urban Design Skills. SPONSORS AND FACILITATORS NEILSTON RENAISSANCE TOWN CHARTER JUNE 2009 We, the undersigned, subscribe to the aims and principles set out in this charter. TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1 SECTION 7 3 A VISION FOR NEILSTON 26 OUR VISION, NEILSON 2030 SECTION 2 SECTION 8 4 THE LARGER SETTING 30 TOWN-WIDE INITIATIVES SECTION 3 SECTION 9 7 POLICY SETTING 38 KEY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS SECTION 4 SECTION 10 10 CREATING SUSTAINABLE 54 SUSTAINABLE PATTERNS ECONOMIC GROWTH APPENDIX 1 SECTION 5 62 PROPOSED PROJECTS 12 THE PROCESS APPENDIX 2 SECTION 6 68 GLOSSARY OF TERMS 18 RESOURCES, AMENITIES AND DREAMS 1 1. Scotland’s Renaissance Towns The program was initiated in Scotland has its beginnings in The Urban by The Glasgow Urban Laboratory at Renaissance work at the Re-Making the Mackintosh School of Architecture, Cities Institute Carnegie Mellon The Lighthouse – Scotland’s Centre University, Pittsburgh, PA, (Lewis for Architecture, and the Development and Simpson) and the subsequent Trusts Association Scotland. Yorkshire (UK) Renaissance Towns project (Simpson et al.). F OREWORD AN B Y CHAIR OF TOWN TEAM COUNCILLOR TONY BUCHANAN INTRODUCTION Towns form a vital part of Scotland’s landscape. knowledge and desire to improve their towns as places This vision for Neilston draws from the spirit of our The Scottish Renaissance Towns initiative has to live, invest in and visit. Towns form a vital part of Scotland’s landscape. village.engage Tandhis charterempower is notlocal a communitiesfixed text, but in instead order toa living Approximately two million people live in truly captured the power of place. The Neilston release their latent skills, knowledge and desire to Approximately two million people live in document that will grow and develop in accordance Scotland’s Towns ranging between 1,000 and The residents of Scotland’s small towns are ready to work vision draws from our village’s collective improve their towns as places to live, invest in and visit. Scotland’s Towns ranging between 1,000 with future generation’s wants and needs. Our work to 20,000 in population. The challenges of for the improvement of their communities, but the initiative memory and beginnings as an agricultural and |date has opened our eyes to what a community can and 20,000 in population. The challenges of The residents of Scotland’s small towns are ready to changing employment, shopping, and travel to needs also to gather support from local and national weaving settlement, our natural assets and accomplish and represents a link to national government changing employment, shopping, and travel to work for the improvement of their communities, but the work patterns have been significant over the government. Towns and cities must be seen as part of initiatives of sustainable economic growth and partnership- our creative population. initiative needs also to gather support from local and a national planning and economic framework in which work patterns have been significant over the based working. past fifty years, but as the Small Towns Report national government. Towns and cities must be seen as the Renaissance Towns initiative is embedded. pastThe people fifty ofyears, Neilston but have as the embraced Small Ttheowns concept Report noted in 2006, “There is a great deal of pride part of a national planning and economic framework in notedof re-designing in 2006, their “T townhere by is combining a great deal the history of pride and The future success of Scottish towns and villages depends of place in Scotland’s towns and there is a The cornerstone of urban renaissance is the regeneration onwhich the thecommunities Renaissance that Tworkowns and initiative live in is them. embedded. Neilston’s of our cities and towns, enhancing their economic perform- |ofheritage place of inthe S villagecotland’s with atowns vision andof modernisation there is a strong will to…maintain and enhance them”. town charter is a step towards this goal. ance by increasing investor confidence, and making our and sustainable economic growth. The cornerstone of urban renaissance is the re-population strong will to … maintain and enhance them’’ urban centres more attractive – beautiful. To achieve higher of our cities, towns and town centres, and enhancing their Now, the opportunity exists to find ways to harness this local Ultimately the success of this process has been I would like to thank everyone who has informed this standards we must invest in quality – quality of design economic performance by increasing investor confidence. pride, knowledge, skill and enthusiasm in order to improve theNow, resulting the opportunity collaboration exists and to find support ways of to the harness local this process and given substantial time to the creation of in new buildings, the restoration of the existing, and most To achieve higher standards we must invest in quality – the overall social, economic and physical environment communitylocal pride, knowledge,in discussing skill our and collective enthusiasm future. in order this charter. Ultimately our success is dependant on importantly in the design and management of the public quality of design in new buildings, regeneration projects, within these settlements. to improve the overall social, economic and physical our commitment to the creation of a healthier, wealthier, realm. At the same time it is necessary to empower local and public realm works. At the same time it is necessary to environment within these settlements. safer, fairer and smarter Neilston. The Renaissance Towns1 initiative seeks to help bring about communities to drive the renaissance and regeneration of empower local communities to drive the renaissance and a revival. At the heart of the renaissance of these towns their towns, their neighbourhoods and their communities; The Renaissance Towns1 initiative seeks to help bring regeneration of their towns, their neighbourhoods and their is the fundamental belief in the value of local empowerment. by the community – for the community. about a revival. At the heart of the renaissance of these communities; by the community – for the community. A need is recognised to more fully engage and empower towns is the fundamental belief in the value of local PROFESSOR ALAN J. SIMPSON PROFESSOR ALAN J. SIMPSON local communities in order to release their latent skills, MACKINTOSH SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE empowerment. A need is recognised to more fully MACKINTOSH SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE 3 TOWN CHARTER NEILSTON, 1863 NEILSTON, 1898 A statement, generally agreed by the people who have a stake in the town, of the principles and aspirations that should guide its future development and improvement. This is a new sense of the term: traditionally a town SECTION 1 charter was a legal document establishing a municipality. A VISION FOR NEILSTON, 1938 NEILSTON, 2008 NEILSTON This report describes and illustrates the process The Town Charter has been prepared by the Neilston of creating a charter for Scotland’s first renaissance Town Team, East Renfrewshire Council, the Glasgow town. The town charter was created by the people Urban Laboratory Mackintosh School of Architecture GSA, Architecture and Design Scotland and Urban Design Skills. of Neilston, for the people of Neilston. It illustrates their 20-year vision for the village. This work was supported by Barrhead Housing Association, the Lighthouse, SUST, and the Development Trusts The charter was developed to establish a new path to Association Scotland. regeneration that capitalises on the village’s collective memory and the aspirations of local people. It defines This approach reflects the Scottish Government’s stated a community-led approach to sustainable regeneration commitment towards sustainable economic growth as that builds from the village’s assets. This approach set out in Scottish Planning Policy. illustrates what can be achieved when a local community takes the initiative to shape its own future. SOURCE: HART, L & HOOI, J (2008). AN COMANN: FIFTY SMALL TOWNS IN SCOTLAND. UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE. 4 5 PLAN-MAKING Preparing plans, as opposed to translating them into development through development management. SECTION 2 Aberdeen THE LARGER Fort William Dundee West East Dunbartonshire Dunbartonshire Glasgow Neilston Edinburgh Inverclyde North SETTING NEILton’s context in scotland Lanarkshire Renfrewshire Small towns and villages are an essential element Glasgow of the social, economic and physical character of Scotland. In recent years they have suffered from both local and strategic changes. The shift from Neilston East traditional economies and supporting networks has, Renfrewshire for many towns and villages (including Neilston), South disrupted their historic reason to be. It has resulted Lanarkshire in a loss of purpose and in some cases a process of decline. Reversing this process has required a re-thinking of Neilston, building on the village’s collective memory, its citizens’ imagination and the settlement’s unique context. This process of plan-making proposes a new approach to regeneration that capitalises on key assets: the community, the village’s location, its relationship to the surrounding countryside, its connections and its distinctiveness. neilston’s context WITHIN THE CLYDE VALLEY SECTION 3 7 SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH growing economy but, at the same POLICY SETTING The Scottish Government has identified time, safeguarding our environment achieving sustainable