Imagining Buchlyvie 2034 – Buchlyvie Community Council
The 2024 Seed Grant awarded to Buchlyvie Community Council was used to engage the community in discussions about climate action and the future place plan for Buchlyvie.
“Buchlyvie Community Council recognises that climate action and planning for the future must be embedded into everything that we do. The issues faced are in all parts of place planning from transport to housing. In our village we are faced with an ever-decreasing unreliable bus service, roads unsafe for cycling and homes in need of insulation and heated with coal, LPG or oil. These issues often affect the most vulnerable members of our community. We want to make sure the solutions that we offer to the problems faced are fair and sustainable.”
“We used the seed grant to invite the community to consider climate action alongside understanding their views on Imagining Buchlyvie and place plan for Buchlyvie’s future. We see this as an essential tool for the community council to decide future funding applications, responding to planning applications and communicating with Stirling Council. It gave us the evidence we need to represent Buchlyvie’s residents’ wishes.”
“We had a lot of discussions around the climate change impacts for our village and we framed all the discussion points through a climate lens. For example, people are upset that the bus service is unreliable and infrequent, but they are now considering the positive impact a better service would have in reducing carbon.”
“We made new links with Arnprior Community Council and found out about possible future partnerships with the possibility of setting up a development trust between the two villages. We also let people know about new groups in the village e.g. Local food network collection point and the youth cafe.”
“There were many ideas shared as part of the discussions. People suggested solutions that they had seen work in other places. They wanted to see a ‘Vibrant and thriving community with homes insulated, connected active travel routes, a destination for the coffee shop and pub, a high-quality pub, local transport and local food and other services.”
“This project will really support Buchlyvie to have a fair and sustainable future if we get the support from government and organisations with the expertise to implement the change. Imagining Buchlyvie 2034 consultation and the report provides the evidence the community council needs to advocate for climate action. We now have a clear starting point to try to bring about the changes our community want to see. One resident says they want ‘A resilient community that looks after the most vulnerable and has anticipated and prepared for the worst effects of climate change and manages to flourish anyway. A good place to grow up. A place where it’s easy to spend time outdoors and easy to meet up with people. A place where you don’t need to travel far to get your basic needs met’.”
“The primary children after the consultation went on to design and draw out their ideas for new shops and facilities in our village and presented them to the community. One said they wanted ‘Teenagers who are happy. Who are having fun. Who have facilities designed for them so they can have fun’.“
“Of the 93 participants, no one from the 18-25 age group engaged in the consultation. Before plans are finalised, we plan to engage with the wider community on the priorities of this age group and others who are not represented geographically or demographically.”
“Overall, I think it was useful for residents to share their climate concerns and find others who feel the same. It helped people feel less alone.”
To find out more about Buchlyvie Community Council and read Imagining Buchlyvie 2034 for yourself, visit their website.
