Best foot forward for Torry

23 January 2017

People who live and work in Torry are being invited to tour their local streets and give their suggestions about the changes that could be made to make them more user friendly.

Aberdeen City Council is working with Living Streets to review streets and public spaces in Torry with the aim of improving the area.

Residents are invited to take part in a ‘community street audit’ which takes place on Monday 6 February at Tullos Learning Centre at 10am. Participants will walk from Tullos Primary School through the Hen Hooses and on to the old Torry Community Centre whilst giving their views on things like lowering kerbs, bollards, broken pavements, overgrown greenery and the positioning of scaffolding as well as identifying areas for improvement around the Hen Hooses.

Aberdeen City Council’s Transport and Regeneration spokesperson Councillor Ross Grant said: “Streets and other public spaces are not just for getting about; they are also places for us to shop, play and socialise with friends and family.

“It is therefore important that our streets are fit for purpose and reflect the needs and wants of our communities.

“The audit will give residents the opportunity to tell what they like about their streets, environment and other spaces and what they think can be improved on. We hope that this exercise will encourage people to get out and about and have better experiences living in and using their local areas.”

Living Streets will compile a report after the audit to capture the views of the local community. This report will then be considered by Aberdeen City Council.

Communities Coordinator for Living Streets Scotland Penny Morriss said “Living Streets is the UK national charity for walking – we believe that everyone, no matter what age and ability, should be able to walk for short every day journeys in their neighbourhoods, and be able to enjoy safe and pleasing local streets and spaces. We work with policy makers, local authorities and other stakeholders that manage streets, and community partners including schools, to encourage people to walk and leave the car, and to try to ensure everyone has great places locally to walk in.

“Our Community Street Audits are a way of bringing people together to have their say about what works and what doesn’t on local streets, which can help the officers that take care of them deliver useful improvements and plan for the future.

“We’re pleased to be working with Aberdeen City Council and Torry residents to start a conversation about improvements to local streets.”

Residents who are interested in taking part in the community street audit should contact Penny Morriss on penny.morriss@livingstreets.org.uk.