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Cameron Connection | ||
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The February 2007 Drop-in Event Report | ||
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Local views, ideas and opinions: a report of what people shared and recorded at the
Drop-in Event on Saturday February 10th 2007.
Hilton Associates Ltd
Contents: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND...............................................................2 1.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................2 1.2 Objectives of the event.........................................................................................3 1.3 When it took place..............................................................................................3 1.4 Who came and what happened?....................................................................3 3. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PLANS?..........................................................4 4. WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT THE PROJECT?.........................................................5 5. WHAT’S NOT SO GOOD ABOUT THE PROJECT?.........................................6 6. WHAT COULD BE CHANGED OR IMPROVED?..............................................7 6. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS....................................................................................8 7. WHAT NEXT?......................................................................................................... 9 Acknowledgments: With thanks to everyone who came to the event and generously gave their time to share their views. Also to people from other organisations that came along or provided information to help explain what the project is all about. Copyright
Photographs © 2007 Vikki Hilton and © 2007 Riach
A further Drop-in Event for Cameron Connection, a mixed-use farm diversification project at Northbank Farm held on Saturday 10th February 2007. The event was held at Northbank Farm so that people could walk around the area and see how the diversified project fitted into the space. Despite the very cold, wet weather over forty people came to the event and spent a lot of time looking at the design and environmental material as well as asking questions.
To promote the event a one page flyer was sent to everyone on the parish electoral role, to people who had left their contact details at the last event, to all Local Councillors and local Members of the Scottish Parliament. In addition it was sent to Fife Council planning department and to organisations such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Scottish Natural Heritage, SCI (Earthship), the Slow Food Movement, Visit Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Biofuels.
Sandy and Christine Riach, owners of Northbank Farm, are seeking outline planning consent for an enabling housing re-development, which will include shared-equity affordable family housing; an Eco-Holiday Village and Visitor Destination building containing a Farm Shop, Country Store, Rural Crafts and Foods units and Café/Restaurant.
Further details of the project can be found on other pages of the Cameron Connection website: The Cameron Plan - Cameron Connection is an innovative mixed-use farm diversification project at Northbank Farm Housing - an enabling brownfield redevelopment including an affordable housing element of 6 houses Eco-Holiday Village - High quality holiday accommodation: a peaceful, comfortable community of all-timber construction eco-lodges in a woodland setting Visitor Destination - a contemporary building, designed to ecological principles and built with quality natural materials, stone, glass, timber and metal in a rural idiom This was a follow-up event to the one held in early December 2006. The December event was well received with many people saying they had not heard about the project. As a result the Riachs decided that it was important to hold another event when the additional environmental work was completed.
As in December, Vikki Hilton, a community engagement specialist (1) asked people to share their views about the project using an open participatory method. This report is a record of all the comments people recorded. 1.2 Objectives of the event
 The objectives of the event were: • To continue the process of encouraging local people to have a chance to understand more about the Cameron Connection project
• To enable people to hear about, read about and ask questions about the additional environmental work that has been completed since the last event in December 2006 and • To encourage a wider range of the local community to see the project area and to enable them to share and record their views and ideas about the project. The Riach family are keen that as many people as possible who live locally have a chance to see and hear more about the project. At this event, which was held at Northbank Farm, a trail was laid out around the project area to show where each element of the diversification project would be situated. There was also a display and further new information about environmental assessments. It was also an opportunity for people to share and record their views so that these could help inform the project design.
1.3 When it took place
The event was held from 10 am and 5pm on Saturday 10th February. It was held on a Saturday for the whole day so people could take the opportunity to walk around the project area on the farm and see how the design elements fit into the area. Again people were encouraged to look at the plans and details of the project and also share their views about the project. As this event was also to provide feedback on the completed environmental work the Environmental Planning and Ecological Specialists were available in addition to the Architect and Riach family. People were actively encouraged to ask questions and having seen the new information and walked the site to share and record their views.
To make it more of an event and encourage people to spend time looking at the display and the site, refreshments were available. There was also a B-B-Q when local produce was served including Northbank Farm meat. At the end of the day there was a short session given by local musicians. Who?
Forty-one people, nineteen women and twenty two men and a number of children came to the event. The participants ranged from people in their teens to over 65. They included people from the Cameron Parish area as well as people living just outside the area and further afield. The map shows where people came from. Only two of the people who shared their opinions had been to the previous event so between the events in December and this event 80 different people have taken the opportunity to find out more about the project.
 What? On arrival people were asked to record where they lived by putting a dot on a map of the area and indicating their age range. This was to ensure we understood the range of people who had come to the event. We felt this was important because affordable housing was part of the re-development plan.
Amended plans of the project were on display, taking account of views and new environmental information that has been added or changed since the first events in December, as well as additional information about the environmental issues such as reed beds, eco-housing and bats. Amended plans of the project were on display taking account of views and new environmental information that has been added or changed since the first events in December as well as additional information about the environmental issues such as reed beds, eco-housing and bats. The Architect, Landscape Architect and Ecologist were available to answer questions. In addition someone from Slow Food, Larder Bytes and a consultant on sustainable tourism were available. The Riach family were also available to answer questions.
After viewing the plans and walking around the project area people were encouraged to share and record their opinions by the community engagement specialist. This was done using an open participatory method and no names were recorded. People either recorded their views themselves or the facilitator recorded what was said for them. All the comments are recorded below.
As at the previous event there was a children’s corner with toys and drawing material so that parents could spend time at the display.
 2. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PLANS? After looking at the display and having an opportunity of walking the project area people were asked: Having seen the display & the project area what are your overall feelings about the project?
Of the 41 people who came to the event 24 people shared and recorded their views. Some people felt they could not record views i.e. a friend, worker, those whose partners recorded their views or those who didn’t want to do it. Of those who recorded their views 20 people ranked the project on a scale of 1-10 from not so good' to 'very good'. The chart (right) is a record of their rankings.
 3. WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT THE PROJECT? People were asked to record what they thought was good about the project. A record of everyone’s views is recorded below: 11. Affordable housing good
2. All the ecological and environmental friendly ideas good – could be used to promote similar developments 3. Ambitious and well thought out project 4. Ambitious project that deserves to do well. 5. Anything that can boost local economy in area is good as long as sympathetic 6. Be a big boost for the area – employment, housing 7. Beneficial to area – things to do – close to St Andrews but not too close 8. Boost the local economy, through employment and housing 9. Bring employment to the area 10. Can help build a community – going to be shop and PO 11. Close enough to St Andrews and gives homes close by 12. Could attract school parties if some of the themes fit in well with curriculum: environmental studies. 13. Could have cooking demos etc in winter – lots of potential – needs to be marketed beyond St Andrews 14. Diversification aspect is important 15. Easy to find 16. Eco-lodges very interesting 17. Employment opportunities 18. Excellent – be an improvement to the area 19. Farm shop idea very good, local seems to be the theme 20. Fresh farm produce – organics 21. Good distance from reservoir for Buzzards 22. Good diversity 23. Good for tourism, promoting the locality 24. Good plan 25. Good to have local outlets to take produce and to shop at. 26. Good to see a bit of development 27. Great 28. Great believer in it being aesthetically pleasing and in harmony with local area 29. If it’s a hub of the community 30. imaginative 31. In keeping with area and wouldn’t change anything 32. Innovative – will bring people in 33. Inspired and well thought out, a lot of effort and thought put into sympathetic development. 34. It’s a good distance from the reservoir, well shielded, lots of wildlife and birds in the area but lots of other trees and shouldn’t bother the birds.  35. Like cluster of visitor houses, grass roofs and build construction36. Like the diversification at a time when farm values and milk prices going down 37. Like the ecological approach and integration with the design 38. Like the idea of the eco-friendly bit 39. Like the idea of using what is here and sustainability of it 40. Like the renewable and sustainable aspects 41. Like the way it looks – not too overbearing, can’t see much from road 42. Like the way this incorporates the woodland and keeps rural look 43. Loads of wildlife in area and won’t impact on them. 44. Looking to the future 45. Materials chosen good – more naturally oriented and environmentally friendly 46. Nice place to have a holiday 47. Nice place to have a house 48. Nice size of development – good balance between market and affordable housing. 49. Nice to see something that is not golf 50. Not going to impact through noise, movement or traffic 51. People need houses and space to walk about. 52. Post Office is good 53. Really good 54. Several brown field sites in area and anything that could improve this is beneficial. 55. Shop should be organic and non-organic 56. Site visible from my house –will be an improvement 57. South side of St Andrews lacking this sort of thing 58. Sustainable and provides a focus for village 59. The location of buildings and structure of walk helped in understanding the layout 60. Tourism – fantastic 61. Tourism benefit 62. Traffic levels unlikely to be affected as A915 already busy 63. Very enthusiastic about it 64. Very exciting – looks to a future of energy conservation, using non-fossil fuels 65. Very much in line with Scottish Executive’s desire to lead the way in green energy, ecotourism etc 66. Will be good for the area 67. Will be great if there is a local shop. 68. Will help people feel part of the community – employment and local shopping. 4. WHAT’S NOT SO GOOD ABOUT THE PROJECT?
People were also asked to share and record any concerns they had about the project, some of these ideas linked into changes and improvements people would like to see happening. 1. Concerned that the houses are a bit modern for the site compared to the ecovillage
2. Housing for sale is like little blocks – could be more sympathetic to environment,but very much in favour of the project. 3. The representation of the housing is not very positive but this might be nature of the software used to display it. 4. Traditional houses look a bit like boxes – don’t have green image, but like everything else 5. WHAT COULD BE CHANGED OR IMPROVED?
People shared and recorded things they thought would improve the project 1. In shop identify where products come from.
2. Make modern houses more sympathetic to the surroundings 3. Make sure that the shops meet needs of a wider audience – i.e. local shopping (very important) and visitors. 4. Need to promote web pages 5. Perhaps next time use photos, sketches of housing to give additional perspective 6. Think about design of houses 7. Use web pages to promote project 6. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS • Local farmer would be interested in the potential shop as an outlet – has native breed cattle • Got to be sympathetic planting – will emerge as it develops • Concept brilliant • Display very helpful • Please make sure it is sympathetic to the environment so it sits comfortably in the area • Can this be linked to St Andrews botanic garden? • Have done a magnificent job • Excellent – like all the enthusiasm 7. WHAT NEXT?
The next step is to make a presentation to Fife Council and the community as part of the outline planning application. The Riachs are committed to continue engagement with the local community. | ||
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Web site design and code system copyright Helios 2006 |
1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND