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In 1999 the local Community Council worked with other towards a common aim and achieved large environmental improvements for their small harbour village.
Overview
PROJECT SUMMARY
In 1999 the Port William Community Council decided to launch a Shoreline Improvement Project. The project had two key objectives - to upgrade an existing shoreline path on the edge of the village and to improve the existing slipway.
Port William needed to attract greater numbers of visitors into the village in order to boost the local economy. By improving the slipway Port William would become accessible to boat owners using the Solway Firth.
By combining resources from a number of agencies and progressing several projects towards a common aim, we are achieving large environmental improvements for our small harbour village. We now have the confidence to undertake more ambitious projects in the future.
KEY PARTNERS
Port William & District Community Council
Indirectly involved people include:
- Port William residents - 550 people
- Boat Owners
- Holiday makers, visitors
- Port William Association Senior Citizens Committee
-
Lifeboat crew
The key people from outside the community were:
- Janet Griffin - Community Development Officer for Machars Action Ltd
- Jim Hamilton - Leisure Department, Dumfries & Galloway Council
- Fred Murray - local councillor
- Margaret McKeand - Machars Information Service
- Sue Little - Community Regeneration Fund, Dumfries & Galloway Council
Mid Galloway Area Committee
- Forest Enterprises - helped to produce specifications for work and to find suitable contractors
- Solway Firth Partnership - will help with future promotion of Port William as a destination for boat owners using the Solway Firth
- Machars Action Ltd has been the key organisation, working with the project right from the start. Their support was invaluable and continues to be vital to the project's success.
Dumfries & Galloway Council and the Scottish Executive have provided funding and support
FUNDERS
All funds received have been to cover the costs of the conservation work. The major grants are as follows:
Dumfries & Galloway Council - £3,000
Scottish Executive - £5000
Community Regeneration Fund - £9000+
The caravan park will also generate an income, which will be used on community projects
THEMATIC CRITERIA
South West; Economy; Local amenities; transport
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Local residents had requested that the path be improved so that prams and wheelchairs could access it and so that the older residents could feel safer underfoot when using it.
Local boat owners had requested that something be done to make launching a boat easier at Port William.
The local lifeboat could not be launched at certain times of the day as the waters at Port William are tidal and go out beyond the harbour. This meant that the lifeboat had to be towed to other launch places making the emergency response times far slower. The slipway improvements were needed so that the lifeboat could be launched 24 hours a day.
FUTURE STEPS
The improved slipway should last for approximately 30 years. Port William does suffer from the natural erosion of the shoreline, but the council is obligated to maintain the road which follows the shoreline, and the footpath runs parallel to this road so will benefit from this maintenance also.
At the request of the Community Council, Machars Action undertook a community appraisal at the end of 2002. A questionnaire was distributed to residents across the parish to ascertain their views as to the work that has already taken place and highlight future needs. The results are currently being compiled and will inform any future work.
The Community Council is hopeful that a new organisation, called the Regeneration Initiative for Port William, can be established over the next year. It will be separate to the Community Council and will be responsible for economic regeneration in the area. The first project to be considered, should the initiative go ahead, is the conversion of an old mill building in Port William. It is hoped that a combination of residential and retail units could be created to bring visitors into the area , provide attractive housing, form environmentally friendly walks and paths and an organic market garden.
Progress- Port William has an active Community Council made up of local people working on a voluntary basis for the good of the district
- The footpath was unsafe
- The existing slipway was of no use
- Port William needed to increase visitor numbers in order to sustain local businesses
From the beginning they had the support and assistance of the Community Development Officer from Machars Action Ltd - a company set up by the Community Councils in the Machars area of Dumfries & Galloway to provide them with advice and support services. Machars Action Ltd is not profit making but looks to cover costs through the modest fees it charges for its services.
Funding applications were sent out and they managed to secure some funding from the Mid Galloway Area committee (part of Dumfries & Galloway Council). It then took a long four years to raise the balance of the funding required. The main reason for this taking so long was that the contractor selected to do the work, based on the submitted quotes, had not costed the work correctly. The Community Council was awarded a sum of money based on that incorrect quote and then had to spend many more months trying to secure the shortfall, and find a replacement contractor willing to work to the old specification.
The upgrading of the footpath finally took place in February 2003 and the slipway project will take place in March/April 2003. The Community Council has also undertaken two other environmental projects since 1999. The Harbour Green, a piece of unattractive waste land in the middle of Port William, was purchased from the local council for £1 and has been turned back into a grassed community space. The Community Association has also established a community caravan site to provide holiday accommodation for visitors. Environmental planting has been done to screen the toilet and shower block, a wild flower meadow has been planted to encourage wild birds and insects, and nesting sites for hedgehogs are being created. To enhance the site even further a herb garden is going to be planted to provide fresh herbs for the visitors staying in the caravans. All profits from the caravan site will be ploughed back into the facility.
ReviewACHIEVEMENTS
- Upgraded and made safe a footpath which the whole community can now use
- Secured the funding to extend and upgrade the slipway
- Created a slipway that the local lifeboat can use 24 hours a day which will mean faster response times and a better emergency service
- Harbour Green reclaimed and improved for the benefit of the community and visitors to the village
- Community Caravan site has been created to provide facilities for visitors and create income for the benefit of the community
Beneficiaries include:
- Local community
- Visitors, holidaymakers
- Boat owners/Windsurfers/Jet Skiers
- Local lifeboat - will be able to launch 24 hours a day from the improved slipway
- Volunteers - project management, planting at caravan site
MEASURING ACHIEVEMENTS
In addition to the recently completed community appraisal, the Community Council has undertaken local business surveys to see if there has been an increase in income, logs visitor numbers at the caravan site and enquiries on the Port William website, and is planning to monitor numbers of users on the footpath and slipway.
PROCESS (local involvement)
The residents of Port William are very community minded. They raised enough money to purchase their own lifeboat when the RNIB pulled out, and continue to fundraise to cover the lifeboat's annual costs. The community has also established a successful annual carnival and folk festival and run a number of weekly clubs and activities.
The Community Council holds monthly meetings to which any member of the public is welcome. Feedback from these meetings led to the decision to improve the shoreline. They approached the construction company Barr Engineering to provide a specification for the slipway work and Forest Enterprises to assist with the footpath specification. Using these specs they obtained quotes from several contractors.
The management committee is the Community Council, which is made up of local people working on a voluntary basis
The Community council holds monthly public meetings to which any local resident can attend and contribute
- Existing community spirit
- Demand for improvements
- Need to increase visitors and boost the local economy
- Need to improve access to the water for the local lifeboat
LESSONS
Getting accurate quotes and not feeling that you need to go with the lowest one when preparing funding bids. Choosing the wrong contractor led to all sorts of problems and delays because the grant that had been awarded was based on the incorrect quote and new quotes were far higher.
Building in enough time to deal with unexpected problems. The project faced huge slippages to the original timetable and people who had been available to help suddenly were no longer available.
Sourcing a contractor was very hard, even with guidance and support. Take as much advice as you can get and double check everything before making that final selection.
Secure expert help before starting the project. If you do not have a Community Development Officer contact the SCVO who can then pass you on to others who might be able to help.
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