Submissions - Page 1

“If small businesses are a community’s lifeblood, then town and village centres are the heart.  The FSB in Scotland is delighted that a £60 million Town Centre Regeneration Fund has been secured and looks forward to it being used effectively to develop and strengthen our local economies and communities.”

"I am delighted to get behind this campaign to regenerate our town centres. I urge Chambers the length and breadth of Scotland to get involved. £60 million pounds to help our high streets during these difficult economic times is very welcome and I applaud the Scottish Conservatives for securing the money. Now let’s ensure it is spent wisely and where it is most needed. Let’s get involved."

“The Town Centre Regeneration Fund should provide a valuable new means of supporting and nurturing the local environment for town and city centre-based businesses, and strengthen their efforts to tempt shoppers back to our high streets.”

John Drummond, Chief Executive of the Scottish Grocers' Federation:

"This campaign puts local people and businesses in the driving seat across Scotland, enabling them to suggest how the town centre regeneration fund can be used to breathe a new lease of life into their high street.  The fund will inject desperately needed financial and practical help into town centres, whose decline has been accelerated due to the economic slowdown."

Musselburgh Museum Committee along with other heritage groups in this fine old market town has long advocated the redevelopment of the Old Town Hall (parts of which date to the 15th century) and its historic surrounding area, including the Merket Cross. We believe that regenrating this area of the town would attract visitors and businesses alike. We are happy to provide a more detailed story and plans as required. Sheila Henderson Chairwoman.

Why your Town Centre? Oban is known the world over as the gateway to the islands of the Hebrides. It is a fantastic place to live and work surrouded by the magnificent scenery of the West Highlands. However, many local people are concerned that our town centre could be improved. The town centre regeneration fund has the potential to provide the town with a real boost and to make it a more attractive place for tourists and residents alike.

"We regularly use the shops on the high streets in Hawick and Jedburgh. These towns are very much at the heart of our communities and have a proud tradition of enterprise and good service. It has been sad to see so many empty shop fronts appear in recent years and I very much welcome the news that cash will be available to give them a boost."

Dunbar has recently seen a huge influx of new residents.  The town centre is starting to look a bit better – but much more could still be done particularly to encourage small traders back to the High Street.  We also need to once again make it appealing to day visitors. 

"Cupar is a great town with a rich and proud history. Sadly in recent months we have lost Woolworth's and Klick Photography from the high street creating gaps and making the town look closed for business. We need a new vision in order to developed and improve the area to enable it to reach its full potential once again.

"I hope the new funds will allow local people and businesses in Cupar, to bring about a dramatic transformation and improvement to the town centres to make Cupar once again great visitor attraction so that tourists stop to enjoy the town and support local businesses."

From Crieff, Perthshire Businessman, Bob Fergusson, Chairman Crieff Community Council said:  

"With the credit crunch impacting on Scotland's high streets, I hope the town centre regeneration fund will concentrate on making Scotland's town more welcoming. Here in Crieff, I would like to see help for projects to make the high street more attractive for visitors and local people."

After years of mismanagement by successive labour, local and national governments, Paisley is no nearer harnessing the tremendous potential it has as Scotland's largest town. Great people, great place needs good leadership! (a yes please, and a helpful slice of the £60m cake)

Kilmarnock has for many years been a thriving down centre and has been awarded the title of friendliest shopping town in Scotland and described as a home town not a clone town in a national survey. The town centre currently has in excess of 260 businesses operating, the majority of them independent local retailers. many of thesen local traders are national award winners in their own business sector.
Labour,s recession is starting to have an impact on the town with several chain store closures over recent months. The local traders need as much support as possible in these times and the provision of additional funding for regeneration projects would be a major boost. Kilmarnock retailers are proud of their town, as are the shoppers who use it regularly, and additional financial input would help to ensure that Kilmarnock continues to be a thriving welcoming and friendly place to shop.

Dunbar is a key place in Scotland's fascinating history, not forgetting its outstandingly beautiful and strategic location. As an East Lothian resident and a trainee STGA Blue Badge Scottish Tourist Guide it would be exciting to see constructive investment in its town centre to help it regain the status it certainly deserves, principally for those who live there but also as part of the tourist trail so valauble to our economy

Girvan is a small seaside town 21 miles from Ayr. We are on the fringe of South Ayrshire Councils remit and as such are very much the poor relations. Our swimming pool, a much needed amenity for our childrens safety and for locals and visitors alike, and one of the very few left has just been closed after no prior announcement along with public toilets etc. It would appear that no funds are allocated to keep alive what was once a vibrant and very popular tourist town. We are only five miles from Turnberry, the venue for this years Open Tournament and yet anyone coming into the town will see neglect, closed shops and practically no amenites to make them stay and support the town.
We have beautiful scenery and a lovely coastline but need our town to look appealing and offer the tourists even basic amenities i.e. a clean modern public toilet. An attractive town centre that visitors can enjoy and support the local shops which are struggling to survive. All the funds seem to be allocated to Ayr and north of Ayr. Please help us to regenerate our town and restore the pride it once had in itself. When we were run by the Town Council, they were people who new the town and kept it as it should be. As a satellite to Ayr we get the feeling we are nothing but a thorn in the council's side. Our local councillors seem to either be powereless or apathetic to the towns plight. Please can you help us to get back to where we should be on the South Ayrshire Map?

At present our town (Giffnock), once renowned as one of Scotland's premier suburbs, contains at it's heart, a monument to the present Government's economic disaster, namely a disused Supermarket premise which had been earmarked for development by Marks & Spencers as a Food store. Unfortunately the downturn in the economy necessitated Marks & Specncers having to pull out of the development at the tail end of 2008. We are endeavouring to make the site as attractive a proposition to high-end food retailers/grocers such as Waitrose whom we know are keen to get a foothold in the area. If a sum of money were earmarked for an upgrade to the Site's perimeters and walkways leading to and from the Site I believe this would assist greatly in making the Site more marketable. It should be noted that in attracting a high end retailer, the face of Giffnock would be transformed together with the fortunes of local businesses who are suffering greatly by the existing blight. I trust you will give this proposal your serious consideration.

Kirkintilloch has been neglected for years and badly needs a makeover. The partnership Kirkintilloch Initiative is providing much needed facilities but its remit does not include the town centre which therefore is looking even more in need of an uplift. The Chamber of Commerce is working on this with my support but our businesses are small and resources are equally small.

Hawick and its High Street has suffered particularly badly as far as job losses etc are concerned in the recent recession. There is less money to spend and the High Street could be seen as being under threat with a possible edge of centre supermarket development. The High Street should be a welcome mat for locals visitors and tourists and its future which is essential to the whole town needs to be right at the top of the agenda. Given that John Swinney has twice visited the town recently in the light of job losses, Hawick High Street presents a unique opportunity for politicians to put their money where there mouth is.

Bridge of Weir has needed a regeneration of it's main street for 20+ years. Villagers should be proud of their centre, but as a resident of BOW for 48 years, I can honestly say that we have nothing to be proud of.

Bridge of Weir is an attractive and popular commuter village. The High Street runs the entire length of the village and primarily has shops on one side of the street. Over the years the high street has become shabby and unattractive which is a great shame. As the general decline continues the amount of people using the high street falls and it is a downward spiral. We need to do something about the face of Bridge of Weir or it will simply become a village with wealth on one side that shop in Kilmacolm and superstores attached to a decaying spine! There is huge potential to be realised in BoW.

LOCKERBIE Lockerbie is at the gateway to the English market, served by train and motorway infrastructure, and therefore it could play a critical role in Scotland's economic recovery in the south of Scotland. The town of Lockerbie has a strategic importance. At present a Planning Application is too be submitted for the largest Data Centre in the World, together with new retail, approx 400 houses and a tourist centre, on a site just to the north of Lockerbie. Projects like this do not just happen - they require a huge effort to bring this planning vision into reality. That is why we must work together to improve Lockerbie Town Centre.

I nominate Kniross Town Centre, I donot live there but am the Conservative Councillor who represents Kinross. Closed shops, public buildings closed, sparkle has gone. Private ownly buildings in need of investment. Town hall once focal point, now door shut. This building need someoe with a vision to transform this building , something to link Loch leven and its history to life.

Stockbridge/comely bank has a unique role as an "urban village" in the heart of Edinburgh with lots of independent small businesses, and is a "foodie" destination. Until last month, the largest unit on Stockbridge High Street was Woolworths. This is now vacant. We are concerned that if a large supermarket chain took over the site, it would but local traders out of business, including the last remaining local post office.

In many ways St Andrews is regarded as the 'Jewel in the Crown' of Fife, yet a drive down Market Street and you would be forgiven for thinking this was not the case. The state of the road and the Pavements is an embarrassment to us all and as Chairman of the Merchants' Association I would be failing in my responsibilities to the traders in Market Street if I sat back and let this situation be ignored by all.

Has a small business owner, Kirrie town centre has more closed shops than it does open ones, we need to encourage more people into Kirrie, which would hopefully generate more business growth also.

I believe Inverness is a beautiful small City and can be improved with the new funds now available. I congratulate the Scottish Conservatives on obtaining the money for this purpose. The initiative will help with improvement to the heart of Inverness and encourage more tourists to visit and revisit. This will really benefit and help support local businesses during difficult times.

Peebles has a Town Centre that is in decline. Once a market town / mill town, then a tourist town it is now suffering from a lack of town centre management, poor infrastructure, tatty facilities, overpriced premises, an increasing number of empty shops, lack of tourists, etc.

DUNOON : GATEWAY TO THE LOCH LOMOND AND TROSSACHS NATIONAL PARK The Clyde cost resort of Dunoon, for so long a favourite holiday destination for hundreds of thousands of Scots, is now a gateway to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs national park. The town's iconic pier is sorely in need of refurbishment so that it can remain s the hallmark of the resort for many years to some and so that it can be the focal point for tourists arriving by water via the Firth of Clyde. The pier occupies a prominent site virtually in the centre of the town, as does the Queen's Hall, to which for many years holidaymakers and locals alike have flocked for a wide range of entertainment. A product of the 1960s, the hall is crying out for refurbishment and upgrade so that it can again be a worthy magnet for those visiting Dunoon and the Cowal Peninsula. Regeneration of the pier and of the Queen's Hall, together with the handsome Burgh Hall which has lain empty for quite a number of years would breathe new life into a town which remains a popular destination for tourists from all over the world.

Dumfries is the biggest town in the South of Scotland Over the last few years the newest shops have been large chain stores that are now starting to close (Woolworths, Music Zone, Littlewoods, Click, Bakers Oven, Passion for Perfume) leaving many empty stores on the high street and in the one shopping centre Investment needed to encourage more local stores, smaller retailers, unique stores to open which will encourage locals in the region and further afield to visit Dumfries

This is a small town with a number of independant traders.There are plans in process to create an out of town development to "relocate our town centre" this may well be to the detriment of existing businesses many in need of a facelift. a town market located in the centre of town (there are plans to hold one outwith the centre).Forres is a growing small town we need to encourage the new settlers to shop local after all that surely was one of the attractions to relocate.

Dunbar High Street is almost unique in that all it's shops are independents with no chain stores. The local traders association are keen to keep the retail sector alive and not see units given over to financial institutions and charity outlets but budgets are tight and advertising expensive.

A long protracted upgrade of the old part of the town, in terms of the pavements and roads, has had serious impact on the smaller traders left in that part of the town. The HC has refused to assist local traders in terms of business rates with the net effect that there are many empty shops. Now it transpires that part of the work will have to be redone as it is defective resulting in more disruption in the town centre. One wonders at the end of this will there be any small traders left.

Alloa is in need of regeneration large supermarkets surround the centre which, with the loss of woolworths and a cascade of clossing shops, is in danger of entering into a terminal decline if no action is taken.

A vibrant Oban is absolutely vital to the economic regeneration of Argyll & the Isles.Over the last few years the town centre has visibly deteriorated with empty shops and unoccupied hotels.The regeneration of Oban town centre would provide the catalyst for the overdue recovery of an alarmingly deteriorating tourist season.

I wish to nominate Bridge of Weir to re establish it as a tradition village rather than simply a dangerously congested route between Paisley/Johnstone and Port Glasgow/Greenock.There is no heart left in the village that was so highly regarded in Victorian times.

I wish to nominate Kirkcaldy because it has so much character and potential - beautiful architecture, good transport, museum, colleges ..It's far from being the typical faceless town. But sadly it has never recovered since the big shops moved out. It is the natural centre of a huge built up area but the shops have become so run-down and tatty that people go elsewhere. It has been struggling unsuccessfully with redesign for decades. With the extra boost of money from your fund and a rethink to meet modern needs, it would doubly repay any investment. Please support Kirkcaldy!

Kelso Square is a natural attraction in the town centre, but we need to do more to attract 'local' visitors to the town. Parking is an issue at busy times. Local traders do their bit with floral displays in summer and seasonal decoration at Christmas. Markets do attract people too. There seems to be something missing, however.

Gordon - in need of regeneration strategies to bring local community together by means of securing the hotel, shops and local interests for the town residents.

All the major town centres in North Ayrhire are to be regenerated ( under the Irvine Bay Regeneration Scheme) EXCEPT Largs which is about to get a new traffic management scheme but with no provision for improvements in the townscpae e.g improving pedestrian areas, new street furniture . tree planting Match funding to theNorth Ayrshire Council may allow this to take place In addition some local businesses (e.g Nardinis) have recently spent large sums in refurbisment It would good if this could be replicated on the shop fronts in the Main Street and funds were available to small busiesses to pump prime their efforts at this time

Duns is a lovely small market town with character and community spirit. Many small businesses struggle with the rental and upkeep costs of their premises, and yet they provide essential local services to the people of Duns and surrounding villages and farms. In times of economic difficulty, what could be a better boost to local and business morale than an injection of investment in the central market square and other trading streets nearby. It would also be highly beneficial to the tourist industry in the Borders to improve and enhance the Duns link with Jim Clark, by extending the tourist attraction and perhaps doing more for rally driving, making it a centre that people would want to visit, not just when the Jim Clark Rally is on. What about displaying some old rally cars etc.?

Galashiels has a lovely garden area on Bank St and the pedestrian areas on Channel St are reasonable. It does however rain a lot and there is absolutely nowhere to be under cover and still enjoy these areas. An old fashioned bandstand on Bank St or roofed sheltered area would be great.

Selkirk has fallen behind in the tourist race due to a lack of attractive public space. With a boost to make these spaces more appealing to the passing trade on A7 all local businesses would benefit by more people stopping. This would enable Selkirk to become more independant as we would then be in a better position to help ourselves in the future. All we neeed is a kick start.

Hawick has had so many jobs lost recently that we need to bring more people here, most visitors just drive straight through on their way to Edinburgh and our empty High Street does nothing to encourage them to stop off here.

Selkirk's town centre is a disgrace Apart from the obvious requirement for a by-pass, the market place, high street, and listed buildings all need a re-vamp Everything looks tired and shabby, the main square is cluttered with buses, and the whole town cwntre basically needs redesigned. Compared to other border towns there has been virtually nothing spent on it in recent years Christmas lights need a huge amount of investmnet too

Jedburgh. So down at heel and so many shops empty. Many of those that are open, are really struggling to keep going. Instead of another Supermarket at Hawick why not Jedburgh. It would bring business to the Town.

Many of the buildings in the attractive town centre are in need of attention eg stonework, roofs, windows, rhones, etc

Bridge of Weir Renfrewshire This is my local town and is a disgrace. The roads are dreadful with potholes and narrow main street too small for required traffic, buildings dilapidated, footpaths non existant in places,appalling car park, no element of beautiful gardens or flowerboxes - quite simply an embarrassment.

We have a high turnover of shops in the town, we need something to retain the people in the high street and not see them taken out of the town by the coaches to the Woollen Mill say. Some of the shop fronts look far from inviting, one is falling into the street. We also need more local promotion and help for small groups in holding events.

I beleive Hawick has been hit the hardest, not only by the credit crunch but by the loss of so many industries which the town was built on.

Dumfries is an historic town and a centre of tourism in respect of it's link to Burns. The slow decline of the town is a disgrace to the memory of the great man and a sad sight for tourists and local residents alike. This used to be a wonderful and vibrant town which can be saved and returned to its previous splendour.

Selkirk is a Royal and Ancient Burgh, who has over the years, stood by while the towns around us have been regenerated. Selkirk is a lovely town with many local bussinesses and I feel NOW IT SHOULD BE OUR TURN please help us to have a face lift and be even more inviting form our visitors.

Crieff has some excellent shops but it is impossible to park and people therefore go to Retail Parks where they do not have to carry their shopping such a distance to their cars. It needs a study as to how many of the cars occupying the few places belong to residents, who keep them there permanently, and efforts to find more parking places near the shops.

Selkirk is a small town in the Scottish Borders where everybody says hello! The people who live here make this town a great place to visit and shop locally. Small towns need to look smart and clean, they also need a variety of shops, hairdressers, banks and post offices. Keeping funding local means that Selkirk will get the chance it deserves to survive the downturn and come out stronger in the long run.

Scotland’s ancient capital and newest city should be a prime candidate for funding to improve the local environment and help local businesses. Barnton Street and Baker Street have seen better days, and support from the regeneration fund won by the Conservatives could be just the shot in the arm they need.

BRECHIN needs your help!!!! Since the removal of the Base at Edzell Brechin has fallen into decline with shops closing all the time.Our high street is a mess, woolies has gone & the people are in despair. Landlords need to be forced to upgrade their properties & set reasonable rents but help is needed with the general appearance of the high street area. All monies gratefully received :)

I feel out of all the border towns Jedburgh has had the least money put into the pot. the empty buildings and ones of disrepair are pulling the high Street down jedburgh is the gateway to Scotland on the A68 and we should make the most of our heriotage.

The Town and immeadiate surroundings simply ooz Scottish and Scottish Borders tradition, History and culture. Cash is needed to preserve the buildings, many going back to the 15th/16th century, against the ravages of heavy through traffic, provide parking to maintain the viability of local businesses, including arts and crafts. We must remember that this is the first town that represents Scotland for visitors arriving from the North East, many being overseas visitors. We must really show Coldsteam as justifying its title as the 'First Toon'

To repair delapidated buildings in our picturesque Border town and to add some landscaping (as viewed at a recent display given in the Cross Keys by the planning department). This also included important pedestrian safety improvements desperately needed in and around Kelso Square

KELSO. Too many empty Town Centre shops, giving a poor impression to visitors and townspeople alike. Get the heart back into the town before the planned Supermarket strips it still further. Improve road links and local road safety

KELSO IT DESPERATLY NEEDS BETTER ROAD ACCESS AND HELP TO RE-INVIGORATE THE TOWN

The town has done much to help itsself and is loking good, but with this help it would great and attract more visitors and locals to use all the shop, the Jim Clark Room and the beautiful walks and twon trail we offer.

Kelso is an attractive town and welcomes tourists. However there are several empty shops which do not improve the appearance of the town.

South Ayrshire Council have hammered in last nail in Girvan's coffin by closing our swimming pool, no consultation. The Beach Pavilion and boating pond already lies derelict and empty. Our main shopping street badly needs an uplift.Come and see for yourselves.

Catrine is a village with a great deal of valuable and fascinating heritage as an ancient Georgian cotton mill town. With the demise of the mill and the end of deep pit coal mining in the area, Catrine entered a period of severe degeneration and deprivation. During the latter part of the 20th century, cheap property in the village was snapped up by developers and converted, often in unsympathetic ways leaving the centre of the village in disarray and disrepair. Catrine has a great deal to offer visitors but doesn't have the basic amenities such as public toilets, a cafe or a place to stay and the village high street is not pretty. A cosmetic facelift would make a huge difference to the spirits of the residents and the appeal of the village to visitors.

I nominate Bridge of Weir town centre - within my own electoral ward. Bridge of Weir has a great variety of business and retail outlets but, almost without exception, they look tired and "patched-up". Visitirs to the village observe the lack of co-ordianation and appropriate upkeep and so think the town is uninteresting - a wholly wrong impression. Future investment could revitalise the centre, empower the traders and give a great sense of community to one of Renferewshire's vibrant rural communities.

Hawick is ready for this boost. We all know we must think big for our future and will all get behind this brilliant opportunity. We desperately need this for our towns' future.Our young people deserve somewhere to come back to, and we need our young people for our future. We are a big town with a bigger future.

I have lived in Airdrie for 76 years. It had wonderful shops and wonderful people. Now our high stret is like a ghost town with few shops and no ammenities. Airdrie people deserve somewhere to spend their day, shopping and meeting old friends for coffee.

Bridge of Weir needs a more clearly defined 'centre' to help generate a better community feeling and spirit. The village has received little or no help to keep it alive after years of neglect and of surrounding area developments and supermarket additions. Some local shopkeepers have tried and have been marginally successful in attracting trade to the village but most traffic just passes through. An attractive town centre for Bridge of Weir would include and encourage developments in trade and hospitality that would enhance life for the residents and visitors alike. The development of a new town centre could be based on the theme of the Bridge of Weir's industrial past and so educate as well as halt the decline that has now spanned several decades.

Dingwall High Street has been severely affected by the building of a new Tesco store only 100m away. Many shops have closed, other have had trade heavily reduced. They need all the help we can provide.

We are very remote, 50 miles off shore. We need the shops to survive as it is a long days journey to the next town, Inverness.

Because Brechin has suffered from a steady economic downturn for the last 25 years and urgent and radical action is required to revitalise the High Street and attract inward investment in the business sector. The town has lost numerous factories and businesses and needs a major cash injection to prevent further losses. More also needs to be done to attract major employers to the town centre, subsequently increasing the number of people utilising businesses in the area.

Stranraer is virtually a ghost town, this is the first town that tourists see when vcoming on the ferries from Northern Ireleand. The geography makes it incredibly difficult to commute for work to the likes of Dumfries or Castle Douglas, unless we have local jobs and a regenerated town then the writing is on the wall.

Dumfries has been in decline for years and is losing its role as the 'Queen of the South'. The High Street is now a dismal looking place and doesn't entice anyone to 'shop local'. Development is needed to make it a vibrant place again and to stem the flow of shoppers travelling to Carlisle, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle.

Dumfries holds massive potential - beautiful scenery, relatively good transport links, a good hearted community, a new vibrant university development ... and so on. The town centre is often bypassed by residents and visitors simply because of the run-down feeling in the place. Dumfries needs a kick start to get rolling again. Then we won't look back!

Dumbarton Town Centre has been left half developed and half empty. The the local council closed the high street to traffic except buses and taxis, and shopping declined. The 'centre' development is sitting with a handful of shops, and desolate. Properties in the high street sit 'for sale' or 'to rent' - some have been this way for several years, now with the loss of Woolworths, frankly the town centre isn't somewhere you really want to go. It used to bustle on a Saturday, now it is very quiet, and in the week, it is almost empty.

Allanton is need of investment in new pavements at the bottom end of the village, there are elderly people living in the village and could easily fall due to uneven surfaces.

We are long overdue a "makeover" in our High Street. Street lighting is poor and inadequate. Market Place needs ripped out and returned to it's former glory.

Centros Millar pulled out of their planned regeneration of Dumfries last year when the credit crunch started. This has left our High Street with many empty buildings and now with Woolworths sitting empty it looks almost like a ghost town, it desperately needs a boost.

Stonehaven is a friendly town offering so much to the visitor with its seafront facilities, but the town centre area looks tired and shabby. A better presented town equals more visitors equals more business for Stonehaven traders; perhaps even attracting new business, giving a better quality of life for the residents.

Although many towns in dumfries and galloway need help, there is no doubt that Dumfries has in the past secured the lions share of regional money,leaving Stranraer at a disadvantage for a long time now.much of the main shopping streets have empty shops and a high amount of charity shops. Apart from the dominance of the supermarkets,there are very few high street names in Stranraer,leading to people shopping outwith the region and a high level of dissatisfaction in Stranraer as a shopping area.

Because due to local council our town is grey and dull with no colour in the high street. We waste money on signs to welcome vistors telling them to shop, stay ,and eat. some joke!! Our park is the only asset we have left. Hawick is still in the last century.

I nominate Dumfries, a prosperous market down let down by a transport policy taking cars from the centre 25years ago and losing its atmoshphere and ability to survive allowing developments that only encouraged movement of shops not new and then allowing Hypermarkets creating a car culture to exist and the eventual death of the town. Why not allow Tesco and the like to have town centres properties only. Look at the surrounding towns such as Castle Douglas

Dumfries town centre has always been accused of being stuck in a time-dome, some thirty years behind the rest of civilisation. However, one respect in which it was way ahead of everywhere else is that the recession seemed to hit it years ago. The Midsteeple (sans steeple) has been an eyesore of a construction site for too long, with no apparent improvement. There are fewer and fewer independent businesses, which shows the lack of support for local ventures. There is nowhere to even sit for a nice cup of coffee apart from a chain Costa, which is always full due to the only other option being a Christian bookshop, which does not exactly suit everyone's tastes. There are too many closed down shops to pass for a reasonable high street, count Woolworths, Klick, The Coffee House, Bakers Oven, Currys, the previous site of New Look, the previous site of River Island, and a few more that haven't been occupied for so long I can't even remember what to call them the previous sites of! In short, I have only seen one uglier town centre in my life, and it's not even in Scotland. Something has to be done about Dumfries, fast.

Crieff currently has a number of well established shops but the High Street is beginning to look tired. The town is also in the middle of a supermarket battle between Tesco and Sainsbury's and the High Street businesses need to be strong to survive especially in the current economic climate. Regeneration of the Town Centre would give businesses the welcome boost they deserve and also let the big chains know that Crieff has its own identity which the community are proud of and which they want to remain.

Dumfries has been forgotten about and over looked for some time. There is not even the basic public rehelm infrastructure is in place and the town is loosing investment to the central belt and places such as Carlisle. Far too much investment has gone north to inverness, and Dumfries is shunned as a little town of little importance when it too could be like Inverness (it is not all that much smaller). There is so much history down here that is oblivious to the outside wolrd as no effort is ever put into the town to accomodate this. The town is depressing and it has the potential to be beautiful if some help is given. However I doubt 1 or 2 million will do the trick - Dumfries is so far behind it needs significantly more. The local council have tried very hard, but little recognision is ever seen from the powers at be. Not sounding ungreatful, the town did recently get a new swimming pool which did cost several million.

As a resident of Scalpay I use the local bus service between here and Tarbert, Isle of Harris. I feel the waiting room at Tarbert, Harris is a disgrace especially as its where the tourists wait for connecting buses to Stornoway, Scalpay and Leverburgh. The waiting room's paint is flaking off the walls, the toilets are old and there is no seating. The left luggage lockers have seen better days, they have no locks and some of them have been vandalised. The CCTV system is out of date and not working, an updated version would perhaps deter vandals and stop them writing graffiti all over the place. Please come to Tarbert, Harris and have a look and hopefully you would consider it for modernisation, especially as Tarbert is the main location for the Isle of Hebrides ferry and tourists disembarking going on to other destinations.

Dumfries town centre has the potential to attract local residents, residents from outlying areas and tourists alike if it had a couple of decent department/chain stores eg a large Debenhams, BHS and Primark . If these stores were here it could also benefit from some smaller more specialised stores and tourist outlets. Currently I rarely shop in Dumfries apart from for groceries as it is rare to be able to get everything in one shopping trip instead I find it necessary to either venture further afield (Carlisle or Stirling usually) or shop on line.

The Chamber is delighted that the Scottish Conservatives have secured this money for the regeneration of town centres. The Chamber would like to nominate both Wick and Thurso town centres for a slice of this regeneration fund. Wick and Thurso are suffering like countless others throughout the country with empty shops and reduced footfall. With the rundown at Dounreay gathering momentum and the promise of marine energy from the Pentland Firth, the economy of Caithness is in the balance and the towns must have a key role in the regeneration plan for the county. With so many funding priorities it is important that they do not get left by the wayside. The Chamber is playing an active role in working with key agencies to promote the county of Caithness as ‘Open for Business’. The Chamber sees the regeneration of Wick and Thurso town centres as pivotal to attracting inward investment and new blood to the area. Targeted assistance from this fund will help to kick start an essential regeneration plan for each town.