Town master plan unveiled
A PROJECT to create a master plan for Banchory will be shown to members of the town for the first time this week.
Final year students from Robert Gordon University's School of Architecture and Built Environment have been tasked with exploring ideas for development in the Deeside town.
The students will present their initial findings to members of the Banchory and District Initiative this Thursday (February 25).
Architect Michael Gilmour, an industry mentor for the project, said the students had carried out a considerable amount of research for the project.
He said they have debated a number of issues, including renovating the town centre and improving connections with the town and the Deeside Way.
He said: "The students are going to come up with some clear strategies. They will point out that there has been no clear strategy up until now for the town centre with more of a focus being on the peripheral developments in the Hill of Banchory and to the south of the town. The town centre has been neglected, with little happening there since the advent of the oil which precipitated Banchory's growth."
Mr Gilmour hopes that the project will spark a healthy discussion about future development in the Deeside town.
He added: "It is still a work in progress and the final conclusions will come at the end of the academic term. So far everyone we have spoken to locally has been very positive, helpful and interested about the project. My fear is that the expectations could be too high! We must remember that they are students and this project will be a learning curve for them too. However we hope that this project encourages discussion on the way the town may develop.
"The students have carried out a considerable level of research in Banchory, both physically and studying present planning policies. They have spoken to interested parties and looked at the current lay-out of the town.
"They have taken an independent view and came up with some alternative strategies. At the moment it is being called a master plan, although that may be a little pre-deterministic. What the project is actually doing is suggesting ways Banchory could develop as a basis for discussion, which could then be developed further."
BDI member Ian Fletcher has high hopes for the project.
"It will be very interesting to hear what the students come up with," he said. "This is an academic, objective project and hopefully it will provide some valuable input for future community planning. The students have been very detailed in researching the town and have even studied traffic and weather patterns. This is something we really should have done ten years ago."
Next month the students will give another presentation at a meeting of Banchory Town Forum.
It is then intended that the students will present their findings to the whole community at a public meeting at Banchory Town Hall, although a date for when this could take place is yet to be decided.
A scaled down model of Banchory, approximately 9ft by 8ft in size, that has been created by the students was put on display in Banchory Town Museum this week.
The students started the project in October. Similar projects have been previously carried out by the university in Aberdeen, Buckie and Edinburgh.
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Weather for Banchory
Sunday 05 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: 0 C to 6 C
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