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https://www.inverclyde.gov.uk/events/3509/greenock-charrette-programme

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In preparation for the March event and to finalise details, the Austin-Smith: Lord/ Douglas Wheeler Associates team have been undertaking discussions in Greenock. In the two weeks just before the charrette, WAVEparticle an arts organisation, who specialise in developing and delivering effective community engagement and treat engagement as an art form, will be active locally.

Jim Clocherty, Chair of the Greenock Town Centre Regeneration Forum and deputy Council Leader said:
“The charrette will offer lots of opportunities on different days for the public, local businesses and anyone else who is interested to get involved and have their say about the future of Greenock Town Centre. Look out for the detailed programme”.

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The specific Greenock Town Centre Charrette objectives are to:

• Raise the ambitions and the aspirations of local communities;
• Build consensus around a shared vision for the area through design-led intensive community and stakeholder engagement;
• Capture new opportunities and accelerate sustainable growth;
• Determine a spatial strategy for the redevelopment of vacant and derelict land;
• Identify a strategy and solutions that will secure strong economic, social and
place-making outcomes and offer realistic, deliverable and viable projects.

The proposed masterplan should identify the short, medium and long-term projects.

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A charrette is an intensive consultation that includes planning workshops which engage local people in the design process for their community. The planning and design workshops will be held in the Saloon at Greenock Town Hall over a three day period running from Wednesday 2nd to Friday 4th of March with a final exhibition in the Oak Mall on Saturday 5th and a report back session in the Saloon at Greenock Town Hall on 10th March.

The Charrette team will set up a Design Studio in the Saloon and host workshops and presentations with members of the public, community representatives, the traders, elected members and officers. The aim is to prepare a shared vision, regeneration strategy and masterplan for Greenock Town Centre. The designers and specialist consultants will translate the participant’s ideas into plans and drawings which can be viewed in the Design Studio that will be open to the public at specific times over the three days.

Planning the future of Greenock Town Centre requires ideas from everybody in the community - young, old, residents and businesses who know the town centre. This is not a consultation on an existing plan. The views of the community, at this early stage, will make a difference and play a key part in shaping the future of Greenock Town Centre.

Riverside Inverclyde Chair, Gerry McCarthy, said:
“We are delighted to be able to bring the charrette process to Greenock
town centre. The Port Glasgow town centre community fully embraced this
concept of participation, innovation and collaboration. We are looking
forward to the same level of enthusiasm from those interested in the future
of Greenock town centre. I’d encourage the general public to join in the
workshops with the design team in Greenock Town Hall. It’s important to
have as many people as possible across, irrespective of background or
experience, to contribute to the future of Greenock town centre”.

The fundamental aim of the charrette process is to prepare a realistic, feasible and integrated regeneration strategy and masterplan, establishing the priorities for investment in improving facilities, services, access and physical appearance of Greenock Town Centre over the long term, with the support of local residents, businesses and key stakeholders.

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Following the enthusiastic participation of the people and businesses of Port Glasgow town centre to Riverside Inverclyde’s and Inverclyde Council’s four day charrette in March 2014 which resulted in a collaborative masterplan being created for the area, Greenock town centre is next to benefit from this Scottish Government sponsored approach for involving the community in planning and regeneration.

Riverside Inverclyde and Inverclyde Council are co-hosting the charrette as part of the town’s recently established Regeneration Forum. Austin-Smith:Lord (Urban Designers and Architects) and Douglas Wheeler Associates (Economic Regeneration Specialists) have been appointed to facilitate the charrette, as part of a design team also including property consultants Ryden, WAVEparticle (artists/facilitators), Gerry Grams (Architect and Urban Designer) and Transport Planning Ltd.