The last few weeks in Elgin have provided us with some glorious weather.
Judging by how busy the new beer cave was at the New Elgin petrol station last weekend, looks like I wasn’t the only person to be trying to make the most of it.
It’s been really lovely the last two weeks to have the back door open through the day letting the early summer air breeze through.
My only complaint is being slightly envious of the smells coming from my neighbours’ barbecues.
We’re really blessed to live in such a beautiful part of the country when the weather is as nice as it has been.
Elgin is perfect for summer, but there’s so much more we could be doing with what is in our town already.
Elgin town centre should be thriving in summer
The Plainstones on Elgin High Street lend themselves naturally to hosting events, creating a venue for people to gather and some slow window shopping.
The shape of the buildings, the space in front of St Giles Church that stretches towards the fountain and the steps and benches that create a welcoming environment, it all adds to the experience.
Contrary to what you might read on social media, it’s been wonderful the last few weeks to see so many people out enjoying the sun.
I’ve had to queue up outside my usual haunts to get launch almost every day. I certainly don’t mind, it shows town is busy.
There is so much more that can be done with the High Street though.
When the weather is nice, who doesn’t want to sit outside with a cold drink and soak up the sun?
Sure, there’s a few benches dotted around the Plainstones, but it doesn’t take a leap of imagination to see the potential for so much more.
During the last year or so my colleague Sean McAngus and I have spoken to several hospitality businesses that want the opportunity to put tables and chairs outside to create a new offering to attract customers.
I spoke to one business owner myself who arranged for officials from Moray Council to come visit them to see how many seats they could put out.
After getting all the necessary checks done they were told there was only space for one table, so they decided it wasn’t worth it.
Is this the best way to encourage our Elgin businesses to invest in themselves and encourage them to grow and attract customers?
If we’re going to have a pedestrianised High Street let’s fully embrace the possibilities it unlocks. The alternative is we have a compromise of half measures that ultimately please nobody.
A good start though would be implementing a solution to stop motorists flaunting driving restrictions on the Plainstones and the rest of the town centre.
How can we make best use of our outdoor spaces when people insist on driving across them?
So much potential at Cooper Park
Elgin is so fortunate to have Cooper Park so close to the town centre.
It provides a natural open space almost on the doorstep of the High Street.
Scotland’s Towns Partnership recently described it to me as “Elgin’s garden”.
Cooper Park is already popular in the summer. I’ve been at the playpark with my daughter when it has been incredibly busy, the skate park is always in demand at weekends and various sports team, including one I play for, regularly train there.
Unfortunately the A96 currently acts as a man-made barrier at the moment preventing the town centre and Cooper Park from being seamlessly connected.
Unless you know they’re both there, it’s not immediately obvious where the other one is.
So it’s exciting to know Moray Council is planning a range of works at Cooper Park to really push it to its full potential.
I love visiting the park, but my heart always drops a little when I see the condition of the pond and the back of the buildings next to it boarded up.
Works are due to begin early next year on improving the water quality in the pond as well as some new walkways and seating to make the area more accessible and attractive.
Plans are also under consideration currently to convert the public loos near Grant Lodge into a cafe with some, badly needed, upgraded toilets.
And I know some very exciting plans for the playpark have been drawn up.
Elgin already has so much going for it when it comes to outdoor space, I can’t wait to see what it looks like when it reaches its full summer potential.
All it needs is a beach, but that’s maybe too much to ask for.
David Mackay is a journalist with the Press and Journal and loves living in Elgin, particularly when the sun is shining.
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