Traders in a north-east town have banded together to create a new community garden to attract more visitors to the centre.
A number of business organisations and community groups in Stonehaven have joined forces to “regenerate” their town centre and encourage footfall in local shops with the Phoenix Community Garden Project.
The new garden will present an “attractive space for people to meet and enjoy”, and will be located next to the historic granite fountain at Market Square if planning proposals are approved by Aberdeenshire Council.
Lasting legacy for Stonehaven
Dawn Black, of the Stonehaven Business Association, said the project aims to create a “lasting legacy” for the town centre.
She said: “Part of the reasoning behind creating the garden is to actually give the town centre a little bit of a focal point.
“Also, it’s also quite good to have some green space within an urban environment.
“It will introduce the town centre to people who might have bypassed it in the past, so they could see the amenities that we do have.
“That would hopefully increase footfall into the shops, because we don’t have many national chains – we have a lot of unique little shops, family businesses and boutiques.
“It’s to get people up from the beach and the harbour into the town centre to benefit the local businesses there.”
The community garden has been designed by local architect Nicki Ritchie, whose concept was inspired by the town’s history.
It will contain attractive sustainable planting and bench seating to encourage locals and visitors to spend time in the town centre.
The initial idea was developed from consultations with local community groups, including Stonehaven Business Association and Stonehaven and District Community Council after the announcement of the Phoenix Fund in May this year.
The scheme aims to help local economies recover from the impact of Covid-19 by providing financial support for collaborative business-led projects in towns across the north-east.
Traders support community garden plans
Local business owners last night said they were excited about the potential of the project.
Jennifer Davidson, who owns the independent boutique My Beautiful Caravan on Market Square, said: “I think it’s a brilliant idea and I’m really hopeful that it will go ahead.
“Doing more things in town to draw people in and give them a pleasant atmosphere is fantastic, so I’m absolutely all for it.”
Owner of vintage ice cream shop Giulianotti’s, Marjory Stephen, also backed the idea.
The shop, which serves award-winning ice cream, has been family-run since 1899 and is one of the oldest local businesses in Stonehaven.
She said: “We have a lot of really great shops in the centre, but there is a lot of focus on our lovely harbour and our beach, so it would be wonderful to draw more attention to the town centre.
“We’ve been really badly hit by the pandemic, because we’ve also had barriers up preventing people to park, and that’s made it quite hard for businesses to come back after the lockdown.
“I think anything that is enhancing the town centre and making it attractive is a positive.”
