Villagers urged to pool ideas for community action plan

Meeting: Talks could form basis for affordable homes and better facilities

A meeting will take place tonight to discuss the future of an Aberdeenshire village.

The event, in Tarves’ Aberdeen Arms, will give locals the chance to discuss what is needed in the area.

It follows months of consultation on where the village needs to improve in terms of attracting visitors and also providing enough amenities for residents.

The ultimate aim of the organisers is to devise a community action plan to have a shared set of objectives for the future.

Starting last year, the Tarves Development Trust and the community council have been calling on locals to give their views on issues such as the lack of access to GP services and the shortage of childcare facilities.

The feedback will be discussed at tonight’s meeting and will then be presented in a formal plan to Aberdeenshire Council and the community planning partnership.

Mid-Formartine Councillor Paul Johnston has claimed the event will help the community thrive in the future. He said: “We hope that once this is agreed, the council can put it to good use. What we need to do is get everyone to agree on what is within the plan and then we can move forward.

“The need for more affordable homes is something that has come up, as has better access to healthcare facilities since we lost our doctor’s surgery.

“But we have also been praised for lots of things like the new community hub which we’ve set up in

“Once this is agreed, the council can put it to good use”

the hub, which has the Murly Tuck cafe.

“The cafe is stowed (very busy) most of the time and is one of the major ways we are trying to keep the village vibrant and alive.”

Mr Johnston has urged every resident who is able to come along to air their views tonight.

He added: “We want all the village to attend to make sure we’ve got this right and to ensure we include anything that’s changed since last year.”

The event begins at 7.30pm.

Photograph: Kami Thomson GET INVOLVED: Councillor Paul Johnston is urging every resident to have an input.