Tarbert Harbour community day hailed a success
The trustees of Tarbert Harbour Authority say they are ‘delighted’ with the success of a recent community day to discuss proposed improvements to Tarbert.
More than 100 people attended the community day, held at the Templar Arts and Leisure Centre on Wednesday March 23, to learn about and discuss early thoughts on plans to improve the range of opportunities, services and facilities available to Tarbert residents and visitors.
Towards the end of 2021 Tarbert Harbour Authority secured funding of £257,250 through the UK Government’s Communities Renewal Fund as part of the Levelling Up agenda.
This allowed the authority to appoint consultants who, over six months, will investigate and develop several major projects throughout the harbour and Tarbert village.
After the design phase the projects will be taken to a further funding stage, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and if successful work will start on projects to transform and rejuvenate the village, harbour and its environs.
The project team includes Leithbased John Renshaw Architects; Mott MacDonald, an international civil and marine engineering consultancy; and ruralDimensions, a Callander-based tourism consultancy.
Team members were on hand on March 23 to discuss concepts in detail and to discuss pros and cons, having prepared a presentation on 10 potential initiatives including the re-organisation of the Fish Quay, creating more public paths and developing the existing boatyard.
Everyone who visited was encouraged to fill in an exit questionnaire highlighting what they liked, what concerned them and to highlight alternative opportunities.
Duncan Cunningham, chairman of the board of trustees of Tarbert Harbour Authority, said: ‘We are delighted that people have taken the time to come and see initial thoughts and ideas on how the harbour and village could develop.
‘As with all these consultations, there are strong views on what is and isn’t appropriate.
‘We were delighted to get a range of other interesting ideas that we will now consider.
‘The next step is for the team to reflect on the feedback we have received and to build this thinking into plans. We will hold a follow-up session in May and present back updated thoughts.
‘If anyone would still like to comment on the initial proposals, they can get a form from the Tarbert Harbour office. The presentation can be accessed through the Tarbert Harbour website.’