Residents of Elgin will soon get the chance to have their say on how the town could be redesigned as part of a national scheme.
The Public Design Charrette is an intensive consultation – as part of the Scottish Government funded programme to engage communities in the regeneration of their towns – which engages local people in the design of their community.
Planning and design workshops will be held in St Giles Church in Elgin to discuss the future of two key recreation areas in Moray.
The local community, designers and specialists will work together to prepare a long-term vision for the Lossie Green and Cooper Park, with ideas for an action plan and development framework translated into plans and drawings.
A similar exercise on a much smaller scale was carried out in March last year, which lead to the establishment of the Elgin City For The Future (ECFTF) Masterplan.
Moray Council and the Moray Economic Partnership (MEP) are promoting the exercise, with a design consultancy team led by Austin-Smith: Lord and Douglas Wheeler Associates, property consultants Ryden, Transport Planning Ltd and Wave.
Councillor John Cowe, chairman of MEP, said: “The overriding ambition is to prepare a vision for Elgin, as part of a realistic, integrated masterplan.
“It’s aimed to involve residents, actually sitting down with the experts and trying to plan a future for the city centre of Elgin, which I think something that is badly needed.
“They will be able to prepare a clear plan that highlights the potential for a vibrant place where people will live, work, shop and socialise and that will integrate Lossie Green with the rest of the city Centre and Cooper Park and address the severance of Alexander Road right through.
“It’s going to take a wee bit of time. We are in difficult financial circumstances like the rest of the country, but this is going to make a huge difference and breathe new life into the centre of Elgin.
The consultation will run from March 2 for four days.