OVER four days in June, people from across Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston met in Saltcoats Town Hall to take part in the Three Towns Charrette.

A Charrette is a type of workshop that brings together as many people as possible from a community to generate ideas and agree action based on a shared vision for positive improvements.

What became clear during the Charrette was that individually each of the Three Towns has an (often overlooked) rich history as well as an abundance of natural assets and community resources - such as the shorefront, heritage and active community groups. Looking to the future it was agreed that if these assets and resources had better support, there could be an upturn in the local economy through more job opportunities, increased business activity, tourism and an improvement in health and wellbeing.

Local people suggested lots of ideas or projects, some of which were big, some small, some quick and some longer term. There were some common themes. People would like to see greater cooperation between North Ayrshire Council, businesses and community groups so that working together is more effective and decisions are made collaboratively. Better communication would make it easier to share information about what is happening locally, as well as promoting the good things about the Three Towns to Glasgow and beyond.

Many people recognised the benefits of community groups working together across the Three Towns to get the improvements they want while respecting each of the three towns’ individuality. One popular idea was that communities could help to improve the shorefront and green spaces, providing opportunities for local people all the way from Ardeer to Whitlees and the neighbourhoods in between.

So what happens next? Over the summer the team who helped the Council to run the Charrette will be working with the Council to finalise the proposals and develop an action plan. There will then will be a public event in September to agree how the proposed improvements should be delivered by everyone involved. There is money available, so things could start to happen quickly!

You can catch up with all the discussions and keep up to date with future events at: facebook.com/ThreeTownsCharrette