Drop-in events planned in Wick Street Design Festival
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WICK is to play host to a "street design festival" in the latest stage of the town centre regeneration project.
It involves two drop-in sessions next week at which local people will be encouraged to help develop design ideas to improve the High Street area.
Launched in October last year, the Wick Street Design Project is a partnership project between Sustrans Scotland, Highland Council and the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council.
“We are delighted to be working with Highland Council and the community to make improvements to Wick’s High Street," said Kasia Koziel, project lead for Sustrans.
We are all really excited by the future for our county town.
"Whether you live, work or travel through Wick High Street, we need your input to ensure the design proposals reflect needs and aspirations of the whole community, so please come along and tell us what improvements you would like to see in your local area.”
The chairman of Highland Council’s Caithness Committee, Councillor Matthew Reiss, said: “I am not surprised by the enthusiasm to improve the town centre area. Caithness has extraordinary community spirit and a real sense of local identity stemming, in part, from our Norse heritage.
"We also have a real determination to highlight the many positive reasons to live in the county. My Wick colleagues have, with others, done a power of work to get to this exciting stage and we are all really excited by the future for our county town."
The council's project champion, Councillor Nicola Sinclair, said: “I’d like to thank the community for giving the Sustrans team such a warm welcome when they came to Wick for the ‘discover’ stage of the street design programme."
The Wick Street Design Festival is scheduled for next Wednesday (January 15) and Thursday (January 16).
On the Wednesday afternoon, from 2-5pm, members of the public are invited to drop in to Wick Heritage Museum where the design team will be working with the Wick Society. Visitors will be able to share and explore the town centre's history through images and stories.
There will also be an intergenerational workshop to address the needs of all who live and work in Wick. Those wishing to join young people from Step Forward Wick Youth in designing a heritage trail through the town centre can book a space on the workshop by emailing Tremaine Bilham at tremaine.bilham@sustrans.org.uk
The following day, drop-in sessions will be hosted from 2-4pm and 6-8pm at the Assembly Rooms where potential changes will be showcased. Local residents will be able to see maps, models and drawings that the team have gathered so far and they can help narrow down the design goals.
There will be a children's corner featuring design activities and an active travel table.
Organisers are inviting local people to meet the team, view the information gathered so far and discuss solutions and ideas. There will be tea and biscuits.
The street design project offers opportunities for local people to get involved up until June 2020. The project will then be handed over to Highland Council to develop it further.
It aims to create:
- Warm, welcoming and more attractive public spaces
- A comfortable and safe environment to walk, wheel and cycle
- Better travel experiences through Wick town centre – particularly when accessing local facilities
- A sense of identity for the town centre in Wick, drawing on local culture and heritage
Events and surveys that took place in October provided hundreds of suggestions from a range of Wick people on the changes they would like to see. These included alterations to the pedestrian precinct, celebrating Wick’s history, incorporating more artwork and greenery, while prioritising accessibility along High Street.
The team have also been observing public life to better understand movement through the town centre.
To find out more about the project click here.
