Photo M Bell

The draft plan for the future development of Stromness can be viewed here in this ‘different’ format which  readers may/may not like : What’s Next For Stromness

Last week,  the What’s Next for Stromness steering group was presented with the final draft plan by PAS. The meeting included Stromness Community Development Trust (SCDT), Stromness Community Council (SCC) and Orkney Islands Council (OIC).

The Orkney News reported on this in : Planning For A Future Stromness

Positives about the Plan from the Steering Group

• The number of community groups involved in the plan
• The variety of projects
• The momentum and enthusiasm the plan has created
• The presence of a development officer within SCDT, for the next 12 months.
• Understanding, participation and co-operation of the community partners
• Ongoing support of PAS, OIC
• Ongoing dialogue
• Funding opportunities

Negatives about the Plan from the Steering Group

• Access to funding / funding opportunities outside local sources
• Regulatory and planning application processes
• Resistance to change by some people
• OIC budget cuts
• Too many groups involved
• Maintenance burden of new infrastructure
• Lack of communication

A spokesperson for PAS said:

“Generally, the steering group is keen to continue to look at other best practice examples of project delivery elsewhere in the world and to keep in touch with ongoing projects in the neighbourhood, to encourage complementary rather than duplicate projects.

“Community partners have also highlighted that grants and funding are sometimes easier to access through community and third sector bodies rather than a local authority. Collaboration with Community Planning Partnership has also been mentioned as a way to enhance the delivery of the plan.”

The draft plan is now with Orkney Islands Council who will decide next steps in putting the plan into action.

Reporter: Fiona Grahame