BROUGHTY FERRY ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT

STREETS FOR PEOPLE AND PLACES FOR NATURE

A Participatory Appraisal

July 1999

Broughty Ferry Environmental Project
c/o Broughty Ferry Library
Queen Street
Broughty Ferry
Dundee
DD5 2HN
Tel. and Fax (01382) 436932

Introduction

Broughty Ferry Environmental Project is a new community-based project which aims to involve local people in planning, developing and managing a broad range of environmental projects into the next millennium. In mid July 1999, the Project worked with students from the University of Edinburgh to carry out a Participatory Appraisal exercise in the area. Participatory Appraisal is a widely used technique which involves local people gathering information, formulating plans and taking action on issues that affect their area.

The focus of this Participatory Appraisal was on 'streets for people' and 'places for nature'. Broughty Ferry combines a diverse residential and commercial urban environment with many natural habitats, such as the beach and the Dighty Burn. Increasingly the movement of pedestrians and cyclists between work, school, leisure and home is being encouraged and thus the presence of safe and accessible pavements and paths are essential for residents and visitors alike. The natural environment is equally important, in providing both habitats for wildlife and leisure opportunities for local people. In addition, it is now widely recognised that routes designed for the movement of people can also act as vital corridors and habitats for wildlife in urban space. It was hoped that the Participatory Appraisal would generate visual information which would bring together the issues of 'streets for people' and 'space for nature' to guide future plans and action in Broughty Ferry.

The Participatory Appraisal Process

Following an initial briefing, the Participatory Appraisal exercise was carried out by a team of five students on 14 and 15 July 1999. The objectives given to the team were:

to facilitate and record older peoples memories of, and younger peoples aspirations for Broughty Ferry with respect to footpaths, pavements and old routes, together with wildlife and habitats;
to gather visual information that brings together the issues of 'streets for people' and 'places for nature' to guide plans and action in Broughty Ferry;
to attempt to reveal the opportunities for a crossover synergistic approach to these issues.

The team met with a number of local groups (Parent and Toddlers; MacKinnon Centre; Age Concern); held an open meeting in Broughty Ferry Neighbourhood Library; and spent time talking to people out and about within Broughty Ferry. People were asked to draw maps of Broughty Ferry and to identify (a) routes they use and (b) places they see wildlife. For each topic they were asked to identify 3 things they like; 3 things they dislike and 3 changes they would like to see. These were marked on the maps. Records were kept of the residence of individuals participating, their age and gender. On the evening of 15 July, the results of the process were put on display in the library. The public were invited to look at other peoples' maps and ideas and to rank the commonest changes that had been suggested.

Details of the participants are as follows:

Age	Male	Female
0 - 10	2	2
11 - 20	2 (5)	9 (8)
21 - 30	10 (4)	5 (8)
31 - 40	8 (2)	2 (11)
41 - 50	7 (3)	8 (2)
51 - 60	4	10 (2)
61+	9 (2)	11(3)
Total	42 (16)	47(34)

Figures in brackets show those ranking the suggestions.

Likes and Dislikes

A total of 89 people took part in the mapping exercise and they indicated what they liked and disliked about paths and wildlife in Broughty Ferry, some examples are given below;

PATHS

Likes

good access to countryside
pleasant walks into shops
good views from Reres Hill
walks along the esplanade
green areas with plenty of trees

Dislikes

not enough pedestrian crossings
dog mess
some paths e.g. Sheill St. poor for wheelchairs
cycle paths too close to road
more direct routes to shops
poor park maintenance

WILDLIFE

Likes

swans, seagulls, seals etc
rockgarden and Sheill St. areas
plenty of trees around Reres Hill
lots of different birds
peaceful areas to observe wildlife

Dislikes

too much concrete in play parks
rubbish on beach and in water
little wildlife information available
worried about coastal erosion

Ideas for Improvement

A total of 128 suggestions were made for improving routes and wildlife. These were aggregated into 26 overall headings and people were asked to identify which were most important to them. This was done by giving each individual ten votes (beans were used). A maximum of three votes could be given to any one suggestion. Forty local people participated in this exercise and the results are shown below.

Ideas	Score
cleaner streets	10
routes less busy	8
clean up dog mess	24
more beach facilities	21
more parks	4
make railway station more viable (i.e. more trains)	32
bin collection times at night for shops	2
pedestrianise Brook Street	21
improve beach cleaning	35
improve, encourage and enhance natural developments	7
more and accessible public transport	6
secure parking for bicycles	5
improve walk along back of old railway line	11
reduce speed of traffic in central Broughty Ferry	18
wheelchair access to Sheill Street nature conservation area	10
clean up beach water	47
improve pavements	10
new toilet on Esplanade	12
more accessible toilets for wheelchair users	6
more seating on Esplanade	11
better surfaces on cycle routes and better signs	2
more parking	13
better paths	2
more volunteer help at Sheill Street	3
viewpoint on Reres Hill	7
add to existing country parks	1

What Next?

The Broughty Ferry Environmental Project are delighted that so many residents of the area took part in this Participatory Appraisal. The exercise is not an end in itself, however. Several local and national organisations are currently carrying out surveys and consultation exercises, including Dundee's Millennium Environmental Stock-take; Dundee Public Open Space Strategy; Paths for All; Dundee City Council Broughty Ferry Study; and Local Agenda 21 Initiatives. It is hoped that this exercise will influence these initiatives as well as guiding the future action of the Broughty Ferry Environmental Project. More specifically the exercise has already;

Encouraged the MacKinnon Centre to become actively involved in assessing wheelchair access to countryside and park areas throughout Broughty Ferry and beyond.
Exploring disabled access into the Sheill Street nature area.
Led to increased involvement of the BFEP in the forthcoming Broughty Ferry Study.
Identified specific environmental projects for the BFEP.