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REPORT OF MERKINCH PARTNERSHIP LOCAL COMMUNITY PLAN AGENCY MEETING HELD IN MERKINCH COMMUNITY CENTRE ON WEDNESDAY 25TH OF JANUARY 2006 AT 2.00PM.

Attendees:

Apologies:

• Welcome and Introductions

  Cllr Peter Corbett opened the meeting, followed by introductions from delegates.

• Community Plan - setting the context

  Graham Strachan explained the background to the Community Planning process and stressed the importance of community engagement.

  Bob Mackinnon gave a short talk on Community Regeneration Funding.

• Local Plan Themes

  Graham introduced the 4 themes used in the Local Community Planning process - Our Environment, Health and Wellbeing, Wealth Creation and Cultural Development. The Community Plan takes account of the needs and wishes of the community.

  He explained that the focus of the workshops would be to highlight the agenda and future plans of the Agencies present, fill in any gaps in the Community Plan and identify how agencies were going to develop their own plans in the light of the community plan. It was agreed that the Plan should briefly celebrate the achievements and developments in recent years in the Merkinch area as well as setting out the agenda for the future.

• Group Sessions

  Each delegate attended 2 workshops dedicated to the 4 themes in the Community Plan.

• Feedback Session - Bullet points

  Wealth Creation
   
  

  • Important to get people ready for training/employment
  • Adult Literacy needs still to be addressed
  • Tenancy Support Group could help identify people who require help with
  • self-esteem, literacy, confidence building
  • Links with WEA, ABE, Merkinch Enterprise to provide basic skills training
  • in Merkinch
  • Need to attract a large employer to the area
  • Suggestion that cultural activities can boost confidence and skills and
  • provide route into volunteering and employment
  • Community business idea for gardening service. Albyn Housing contracts
  • out this service for vulnerable tenants. Also link to getting people
  • involved with landscaping projects.
  • Link Inverness Path Network to South Kessock Environmental Centre to
  • attract more people
  • Improve transport links to improve access in and out of Merkinch - road
  • and rail
  • Link Art with Wealth Creation to attract more people to Merkinch, eg
  • Angel of the North

  Environment Workshop

  • Environmental design - need to include the community in discussions on design and implementation. Community Officer opportunities.
  • Gardening and other green space work. Good opportunities for job creation in gardening work for Council/Housing Association/private tenants and also green spaces owned by community/Housing Association/Council. Seasonal work could be balanced with slabbing/fencing/other project work.
  • A number of agencies have officers/space in the community. Environment could be improved by rationalisation of use.
  • Opportunities for bird watchers/bird boxes/related facilities around the waterfront.
  • Waterside centre at former ferry point supported with opportunities to benefit both community and visitors.
  • Post of Environment Officer/Green Officer should be considered. SNH keen to support green initiatives in this area. Also possible to support Partnership Officer where remit relates to natural heritage/environmental issues. Compare PRIN Post.
  • Scope for developing work by Green Space, Inverness.
  • Transport and access issues should be developed in the context of environment. Need to open up walking from Black Bridge to complete tour of Merkinch, South Kessock, Clachnaharry, Tomnahurich, and City Centre. This would increase usage of waterfront centre.
  • Public transport access issues. Bus service improvements necessary, particularly evenings. Suggestion of railway halt in the community.
  • Community Warden Post funded to March 2008. Ongoing funding needs to be identified.
  • Noted SWT have officers close to Merkinch.
  • A safe environment is essential and safe play areas and access to wildlife all assist community and can help with crime reduction. Perception of unsafe environment often stronger than reality.
  • Graffiti is an issue, as with most large communities. Making Merkinch more enjoyable and improving facilities will reduce graffiti and other anti-social behaviour.
  • SNH emphasised that they are keen to help with projects and to assist with elements of staffing where it relates to their remit.
  • Housing indicated change from the past where there are now only 6 empty houses in South Kessock out of a total of 550. Area has seen big improvement over the last few years.
  • Merkinch should have its own biodiversity action plan. Funding can follow the biodiversity issues.
  • Scope for continued joint work and new joint work between Housing Associations and the Highland Council.
  • The group were happy with the projects identified in the draft appendix to the local community plan.

  Cultural Development Workshop

  Cultural activity has often been, and indeed still is, seen by many as an add-on, not inherently important, and definitely well down the list of funding priorities when competing with health, education and employment. However, cultural activity has for a long time been playing a central role in the delivery of areas such as education, health, employment, regeneration, justice and communities as well as having a value to society in its own right.

  Participation in cultural and sporting activities has been shown to result in the gaining of new skills, improve informal and formal learning, increase self confidence, self-esteem and a sense of worth, improve or create social networks, enhance quality of life, promote social cohesion, personal and community empowerment and improve personal and local image, identity and sense of well-being. The development of and support for cultural activities is a priority for this area.

  • Channel 4 "Big Art project"
  • Links with Scottish Natural Heritage
  • Potential for new initiatives
  • Sustainability of community worker posts
  • Links with MP33
  • Links to environment/heritage
  • World Ocean Day

  Health/Well-being Workshop

  • The comment was made that cultural activities (sport, art, drama etc) can in themselves be beneficial to health and well-being and that both themes should continue to be closely linked.
  • Northern constabulary - their various initiatives on illegal drugs, licensing laws, etc are Inverness wide and not specific to any one area. The Officers present suggested that in relation to local crime, local people were beginning to feel more confident in their contact and communication with the police.
  • At present no CCTV is working in the area but this is being addressed. There is a possibility of Northern Constabulary having a mobile CCTV unit in the future, which could be used to help address crime and the fear of crime.
  • It was suggested that the lack of adequate and affordable child provision remained one of the main obstacles to accessing health initiatives and learning opportunities and that this had an effect on the future sustainability of such initiatives or opportunities.
  • The Fire service is looking to promote and deliver their Home Fire Safety Advice programme in the Merkinch area.
  • Health and safety in terms of the environment- these issues are integral in planning the purpose, design, layout, construction of any community initiatives/buildings in the area, whether project based, environmental improvement, green spaces or in terms of new/upgraded buildings/ housing.
  • Sub divisions (geographical) exist in the area which can impact on any developments centred on health and well-being.
  • The problem of "Short term-ism" in relation to initiatives, funding and projects.
  • The benefit/ value of having tenants groups in the area and in particular young tenants groups/support workers.
  • Better links between social work and young people.
  • The need to engage with young men in the area and address issues such as homelessness and self harm within this group.
  • The need for continued education on health issues (healthy eating, sex education, etc) through projects such as the Janny's Hoose, MP33, local schools and the Family Resource Centre.
  • The impact of the Community Warden post on health and safety issues in the community.
  • The importance of inter-Agency collaboration.

• The Way Ahead

  It was noted that all 4 themes were strongly interlinked.

  The feedback from the meeting would be incorporated into the Community Plan. The Plan had now been endorsed by the relevant Agencies and by Community organisations and could be reviewed on an annual basis. It was seen as a working document, the Merkinch Partnership would use it as a reference point from which to work through plans and projects in the Merkinch area.

  Bob MacKinnon highlighted the "Community Voices" funding, which was available to communities for capacity building.

  Peter Corbett thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting.

This project is being part-financed by the European Union under the Inverness and Nairn CED programme.