The chances are that most readers will have given little or no thought to town planning. This was something that town councils did and generally we just accepted the results. However, town councils were abolished almost a century ago and since then the level of local control has become less with each passing year.

Parish and town councils became district councils and then later still became regional councils. Scottish Community Councils were created in 1973, many years after the abolition of the Parish Councils. Presumably, government recognised that a great deal of local direction had gone and that at the very least this was causing some concern.

However, it is effectively local democracy on the cheap and one gets what one pays for! Peebles Community Council receives a grant of £1,365 a year, set in 2009, and is made up of volunteers who have varying degrees of spare time. Expertise changes with each passing year and sometimes community councils just wither away. In the past, local authorities often paid lip service to the wants, needs and wishes of the local community. The community were not served well by these arrangements.

Feedback to the community council has always expressed concerns that Scottish Borders Council (SBC) doesn’t listen, that some services are not great, that some roads have traffic issues and others are not well maintained, that local health services are over stretched, and that the level of building and development outstrips the ability of local services to cope with demand and so it goes on.

Of course, it is human nature to raise complaints when they are felt to be justified and again human nature to give little credit where credit is due. There is a lot that SBC do well, and the writer acknowledges that they do a difficult and complex job without adequate money with which to do it.

However, Borders towns have no management oversight, and by that we mean a dedicated manager at SBC to fight our (Peebles) corner for us and to develop plans and to make actions happen. Councillors don’t fulfil this need as they have too wide a remit, are underfunded for the role they are tasked with, don’t have authority over officers and often don’t have the skill set necessary.

Peebles Community Trust (PCT) as a focal point for a group of Peebles organisations headed up, with the Peebles Community Council (PCC) and the Peebles Civic Society (PCS), the drafting of the original “Town Action Plan” in 2016, and similarly SBC produced a “Tweeddale Locality Action Plan” in circa 2019. SBC also, as required by law, produced a “Local Development Plan” (LDP) and LDP2 has just been approved by the Scottish Government and is back with SBC for finishing and then adoption.

The Town Action Plan attempted to find out what Peebles wanted and to document it and thus produce a way forward. The PCT actioned some things that it had control of but of course had little control of other items and there was no legal requirement for SBC to read the document let alone take actions from it. In any case, there was little or no joined up thinking between the town and SBC, and without this, problems are created and not resolved.

The PCT, supported by PCC and PCS has taken a lead over the last three years to seek out opinions from townsfolk as to what you like, what you don’t like and what you wish to see change. More than 1000 comments have been received and an immense amount of data collated. You may ask if it is all worth it if SBC will ignore it. However, local authorities are changing. In some respects, they are being forced to change by legislation that makes them involve communities more and partly we are seeing a willingness in SBC to be more responsive to local aspirations.

On the legislative side, “The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015” and “the Town and Country Planning (Local Place Plans) (Scotland) Regulations 2021” mean that the community voice must be heard. Early signs are that SBC is at least making the right noises.

So, what have you, the community, said you want to see? Again, to do a subject justice in 1200 words is not easy and the following headings need serious expansion. However, most agree that Peebles needs some things urgently and some things preferably, and that some projects can be done in months and that some will take years but should be planned for now. Many subjects overlap with each other.

1. Peebles regeneration – Ensuring that the physical assets are maintained properly and managed effectively, and that the town is a vibrant place to live, shop and for visitors to come to.
2. Field sports infrastructure upgrade – Improving sports facilities throughout the town to benefit all who enjoy taking part in and watching local sport.
3. Peebles active travel infrastructure improvement – Making all forms of active travel within Peebles easier – for bikes, pedestrians, wheelchairs, horses, etc.
4. Hay Lodge Park / Riverside active travel – Removal of the hump and extension of hard path from the town to Fotheringham Bridge.
5. South Peebles social and economic infrastructure – What does the southside of Peebles need to enhance life for residents? A satellite health centre? More shops, a meeting place? Etc.
6. Review public / community indoor space provision – How do we ensure that our community spaces (PCT Hub, Drill Hall, Chambers Institution, Church Halls, etc.) can complement each other and be used to best effect without competing?
7. A Safer Community – Address issues of vandalism and antisocial behaviour; and improve presence of police/community officers. and provide more support for young people.
8. Strengthening community capacities – Increase resourcing of key community organisations including the PCC, PCT and Borders Community Action (previously The Bridge) and Citizens Advice Bureau.
9. Adult and further education project – Looking at outreach from Borders College with teaching satellite hubs for modern apprentices, further education, adult education, etc.
10. New business park / light industrial estate – You’ve said that Peebles needs more and better employment.
11. Second bridge across the Tweed – Long term project to protect the south side crossing and reduce traffic flow across the existing bridge.
12. Peebles “Open for Business” project – Selling Peebles to prospective employers as a good place to do business.
13. Creative industries cluster project – Attracting hi-tech industry/business that feeds off itself and attracts other connected businesses.
14. Peebles community hospital and improved health provision
15. Green infrastructure and food security initiatives – Bringing more green space, including March St Mill allotments, under community management; improving local biodiversity and food production and reducing food poverty.
16. Low cost, low rent housing – for lower income individuals, families, and first-time buyers.
17. Reducing energy demand and increasing energy efficiency – Moving towards net zero, reducing household energy costs.
18. 20-year plan for development of Peebles – This can include a maximum capacity calculation that restricts or encourages certain types of development.
19. Peebles flood defence project

There is a lot here and each of the above deserves its own page of explanation. However, they are all here because of your feedback and you can still feedback to us with your support or your objections using the PCC secretarial email address (secretary@ccrbpeebles.co.uk) and your views will be taken into account as they should be in any democracy.

Peter Maudsley

Chair

Peebles and District Community Council