Aspire Arbroath aiming for success with town plans

Community group Aspire Arbroath has tasked itself with taking forward the plan which has emerged from the town’s 2016 charrette.

Representatives from local businesses, community groups, Dundee and Angus College, Hospitalfield House and Angus Council came together following the Arbroath Talks programme in February last year.

Work is already under way to improve the appearance of the West Port and High Street areas, and Aspire Arbroath says its aim is to make the burgh a place where people want to live, work or visit.

Aspire Arbroath chairman John Morrow, who is Angus Council’s service manager for housing, said: “The town has so much that is good already, but we want to build on that and help make it even better.”

Signage has been reviewed to make it more straightforward for people to find their way about town, with improvements already carried out around the train and bus stations.

An audit to look at how to make Arbroath accessible for all has also been undertaken, with funding from the Scottish Government’s Activating Ideas Fund.

The group is now compiling a business case that explores possible changes to the dual carriageway.

“Aspire Arbroath is determined to raise the profile of the town beyond Angus, through the continued and enhanced staging of festivals, events and activities. An important part of that work will be to secure funding so that ambitions can be realised,” added Mr Morrow.

The work feeds in to the wider Arbroath Locality Plan, which is currently being developed and will be available for consultation later this year.

The blueprint progresses the work of the charrette and other plans and covers the economy, people, and the place where they live, with the aim of reducing poverty and inequality.

The ALP links a number of plans and agencies, including the health and social care plan, children’s services, housing and economic development, as well as the Aspire Arbroath action plan.