On 26th October 2024, we had a drop-in session to gather community feedback on the consultation responses that we have received from the Borgue community. The event was organised by an organisation called ‘Sleeping Giants‘ who have been involved in facilitating several Local Place Plans and other community initiatives in Dumfries & Galloway. Grace Cardoso and Rebecca Giblin from Sleeping Giants greeted the attendees and explained how the session worked. Additional assistance and expert knowledge was provided by representatives from several local organisations, including:
- Antoine Lemaire, Galloway & South Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere
- Grant Coltart, SWESTRANS
- Debbie Craig, Kirkcudbright Development Trust
- Mike Staples, South of Scotland Community Housing
- Billie Jones, Glentrool Hive
Over 60 people from the Borgue community attended the event and provided valuable feedback on the various topics and proposed action items associated with the topics. Each attendee was provided with a ballot slip that allowed them to give an overall expression of support or opposition to the idea of a Local Place Plan for Borgue.
Ballot Question
The question “Do you agree that we should all now work together to take forward the aspirations and actions that local people have suggested today and in previous engagements?” was asked. 27 people responded ‘Yes’ and 12 responded ‘No’.
The comments associated with the ‘Yes’ responses, about how individuals could help with the Place Plan were:
| Sorry, can’t think of anything but keen to be involved |
| As a chartered town planner with a house in the village I am happy to help |
| Samosa, taking part, being kind |
| Too many aspirations – prioritise |
| Continue to be involved in consultation & development of Place Plan |
| Communication within the area is important, Facebook has a wide audience and an online presence is vital |
The comments associated with the ‘No’ responses about how should we address the issues facing our community were:
| Waste of time and money |
| Small scale housing development? Quantity of development? |
The session was divided into stations for each of six different themes and a table with maps for suggestions about local development and identification of treasured landscapes:
- Natural Environment
- Travel & Transport
- Facilities & Services
- Housing
- Economy Enterprise & Employment
- Stronger Community
- Borgue Village Developments
- Borgue Area Map
- What’s Missing?
For each of the themes, there was a list of actions that had been identified from the previous consultation in June and the feedback received from questionnaires submitted by individuals, businesses and groups of people in the Borgue area.
Theme 1 – Natural Environment
“We want to protect and enhance our natural environment both now and for future generations.”
| Initial Question | Yes | No |
| Do you think it’s important that our local community and others work together to protect and enhance our natural environment both now and for future generations? | 33 | 0 |
Previous Community Feedback
- General: There were a lot of general comments, mainly about how nice our area is and how we should work together to protect and enhance it. Specific mention was made to the proposed National Park (both positive and negative), Biosphere and SSSI (site of special scientific interest) status.
- Coast: Responses here were almost all in praise of what we have and a desire to retain its character – not least its geology, wildlife and opportunities for leisure and recreation. Some were disappointed about the inaccessibility of many parts of the coastline, while others were concerned with the impact that over-tourism might bring to e.g. parking, litter, erosion, camping etc. Some also raised the issue of water quality for swimmers and those undertaking watersports.
- Hedges / Trees: Responses were nearly all in favour of more broadleaf trees, in hedges and woods, and no more Sitka (spruce) plantations. The Holyrood Policy of giving Scottish Forestry the ability to override local wishes was not popular.
- Biodiversity: Responses were generally in favour of more biodiversity and providing the environment and support for this to happen.
- Verges: While many local people asked for verges to be cut less to encourage biodiversity, others were concerned with the safety implications of not cutting verges for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.
- Litter: issues of littering were raised on beaches, in parking areas, in verges, on roads and more generally and suggestions such as more support for litter picking volunteers, and litter picking stations at beaches were suggested.
- Green energy: A small number of responses were against renewables, especially onshore wind.
Proposed Actions and Responses
| Do you agree with these actions? | Yes | No |
| 1.1 Hold a community meeting with Dumfries and Galloway Council to agree approaches to verge cutting which can ensure safety while supporting biodiversity. | 12 Comment: Leave the flowers alone! | 1 Comment: I think a lot of these are statutory obligations already, aren’t they? |
| 1.2 Fundraise for litter picking resources including road safety signs, litter stations at beaches, anti-litter notices, and easily accessible and signposted storage for equipment. | 12 Comment: Borgue has already sourced some. | 1 |
| 1.3 Develop and fundraise for a project involving local landowners and local residents to regenerate existing woodland and plant native broadleaf trees and hedgerows in agreed sites. | 14 Comment: Grants already available | 0 |
| 1.4 Explore funding and partnerships to survey biodiversity in the SSSI and develop plans with interested stakeholders to assist in its monitoring maintenance, preservation, and enhancement. | 14 | 0 |
| 1.5 Work with SEPA and other relevant organisations to survey and monitor coastal and rivers / waterways, developing plans to improve water quality | 21 | 0 |
| 1.6 Work with developers to ensure that new housing or other developments are subject to environmental impact assessments and have green energy solutions as standard. | 22 Comment: Shouldn’t this happen anyway? | 0 |
| 1.7 Lobby to make sure that any renewable schemes limit environmental impact and are accompanied by an appropriately sized community benefit fund. | 16 | 0 |
| 1.8 Request that the Council’s Local Development Plan minimizes softwood afforestation and ensures environmental impact assessments are undertaken for any large-scale forestry projects. | 18 | 0 |
Other Comments
| Feels very broad brush – can’t it be more specific to the region and its attributes/assets? |
| There should be more protection for the unique topography of the Borgue Peninsula and in particular the glaciated landscape (knowes). Too many of the ‘lazy fields’ have already been lost. (additional comment – “Agreed”) |
| Recognise the challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change and carbon/methane emissions |
| It is worrying that so many of the streams are invaded by poisonous weeds, e.g. Hemlock Water Dropwort. As well as litter picking we need to clear the streams before someone/a child/pet/farm animal is poisoned. |
| Too much loss of knowes and ponds. Too many dykes being removed. Far too much softwood non native tree planting |
| Protect our wilds. Go slow for wildlife on Borgue roads. |
| Leave footprints, not rubbish on beaches |
Theme 2 – Travel & Transport
“We want a safer and more accessible travel and transport infrastructure for local people, businesses and visitors to the area.”
| Initial Question | Yes | No |
| Do you think it’s important that our local community and others work together to make sure our transport and travel infrastructure is safer and more accessible? | 19 | 0 |
Previous Community Feedback
- Roads: There was widespread disappointment among community members including young people
about the state of the roads, not least potholes and road edges. Some also called for passing places
to be established and surfaced, while others felt that roadside parking in a few popular areas should
be catered for or controlled. There were also comments on excessive speed and size of vehicles and
some asked for limitations on the size and speed of vehicles on specific roads. - Footpaths: There was a general demand for better paths. Better signage, core paths that join up,
core paths that are maintained and not blocked, marked paths in newly planted woodland, paths that
did not necessitate walking on roads. - Bikes: Comments echoed those about the general state of the roads and speed of traffic. There was
some support for cycle racks, bike shelters and repair stations, safer cycle ways and guides for cycle
routes. - Public transport / buses: Responses showed that there is an overreliance on cars because public
transport services were inadequate. This greatly disadvantages those without cars, and some young
people resorted to hitch hiking because of the lack of buses. Overall, there was a demand for more
and better bus services.
Proposed Actions and Responses
| Do you agree with these actions? | Yes | No |
| 2.1 Work collaboratively with SWESTRANS, SUSTRANS and others to undertake further research into active travel opportunities and initiatives. | 9 | 0 |
| 2.2 Fundraise for and install cycle-friendly equipment and resources at agreed sites, including bike racks, shelters and maintenance stations | 3 | 3 |
| 2.3 Work with landowners and local people to identify potential routes for safe foot, cycle and horse path / trail improvements and extensions, improving accessibility to the coastline | 13 Comment: Lack of gate at Kirkandrews shore | 2 |
| 2.4 Fundraise to improve signage as well as online and printed information which promotes accessibility of paths and bridleways | 4 | 4 |
| 2.5 In consultation with the local community, work with SWESTRANS to improve road safety measures including signage to help slow traffic. | 9 | 2 |
| 2.6 Hold a public meeting with Dumfries and Galloway Council to discuss the condition of roads, passing places, laybys, roadside parking etc. as well as plans for improvement. | 9 | 1 |
| 2.7 In line with the Regional Transport Strategy, work with SWESTRANS to review public transport options and develop new initiatives to meet community needs. | 9 | 1 |
Other Comments
| Safe footpaths and cycleways on busy routes, e.g. shore road to Kirkcudbright. |
| Cycle lane, cars slower. |
| Review of timetabling & provision of service vehicles. We need a public transport that gets folk to education and employment 6 days a week. |
| The bus timetable needs to reflect more practical run times. It would encourage greater usage if it made sense! |
| Public access to school bus service? |
| Is there any scope for rationalising heavy vehicle access to fewer bus routes? |
| A better connection from Borgue to the 500 bus services of Twynholm/Gatehouse would be required |
| Timetabling needs improving – could there not be a better connection at Kirkcudbright to services to/from Castle Douglas? |
| Patient transport – work out way to support this. |
| Someone needs to be responsible for keeping core paths clear. Most are now impassable without a machete which people either not using them or straying into farmland which is unnecessary if the paths were accessible. |
| We need more paths (plus welcoming approach) around the village centre itself. These have all been ‘lost’. One time, a village like this historically would have had a whole network. This would help locals and visitors alike to enjoy the immediate village location and encourage socialisation and discourage accessing private lands etc. |
| Wishlist: – Good roads, safe for bikes and walkers – Signposted paths with gates that work and are kept clear – No idea how to get this though |
| A solution might be to have a community bus that folk can ‘phone to use – would require the driver to house the bus. |
| WhatsApp group with car share etc. |
Theme 3 – Facilities & Services
“We want local people and visitors to the area to have better access to the facilities and services they need, as close to home as possible.”
| Initial Question | Yes | No |
| Do you think it’s important that our local community and others work together to make sure we have the facilities and services we need, as close to Borgue as possible? | 20 | 0 |
Previous Community Feedback
- Community facilities and services: Local facilities such as the pub / hotel, the village hall and Kirkandrews Kirk were considered important to keep and improve where possible. A wider range of improvements were suggested including better disabled access, better internet access, improved water, toilet and shower facilities, better storage for groups and better signage. For some groups however, hall hire fees were challenging, particularly when they were trying to keep costs down for lower income families and requests were made for subsidies, particularly for youth focused groups. Local people, including young people, often felt that there wasn’t much to do and called for new community spaces and services for people to come together – socially, for support, to take part in activities or to learn skills. Suggestions included a community shop, a café, activities for young people and older people, sports and leisure facilities, outdoor community space, a community vegetable garden etc.
- There was widespread disappointment at the closure of the school, which (as well as providing primary education for local children) hosted some larger community social events, and there were serious concerns about its future use.
- The idea of a community centre or hub was suggested by some, and assets suggested as possible locations for development included the body shop and plot opposite, the village hall, the school building and playing fields, the old Kirk.
- Public services: There was disappointment about various public services closing such as the school, the shop and the post office etc. There was also a consensus about the need to keep services (educational, medical, police etc.) as local as possible.
- Communications (phone, broadband): Although some villagers benefit from fast broadband, there was consensus about needing better mobile and broadband, as coverage is limited in some areas.
Proposed Actions and Responses
| Do you agree with these actions? | Yes | No |
| 3.1 Work with any owners of Borgue Hotel and Pub to support its promotion to ensure its ongoing sustainability | 24 | 0 |
| 3.2 Create plans to develop local buildings into facilities which can cater to the needs of the local community such as: larger event space – flexible meeting rooms – a community café – a community shop – a youth space – an enterprise hub – a bunkhouse – a community garden | 20 Comment: All of these are very sound ideas. Comment: We must be careful to support the village hall as much as possible. Trying to utilise more buildings in Borgue may lead to the hall failing. | 0 |
| 3.3 Support local groups to fundraise for improvements to existing local assets including the Village Hall and Kirkandrews Kirk. | 13 Comment: I think the current team are doing a great job getting funding. | 0 |
| 3.4 Lobby the Council, NHS, and other services to minimise the centralisation of services to ‘hub towns’ such as Castle Douglas, and maintain services as local as possible, to protect the sustainability of rural villages. | 15 Comment: They don’t listen. | 0 |
| 3.5 Request that the Council’s Local Development Plan safeguards local assets such as the village hall and school for community use. | 17 | 0 |
| 3.6 Undertake a community-led audit of which mobile phone providers have coverage in which areas, and lobby main companies to improve coverage more widely across the area. | 17 Comment: I don’t know enough about mobile phones but this sounds sensible. | 0 |
Other Comments
| Well done for all of your efforts thus far. |
| A directory of services and attractions, kept up to date and easily accessible. Love borgue.org – thanks for running it! |
| Maintain bus services to Brighouse Bay (should be in Transport section) |
| Without new people coming in to grow the population it is very hard to stem the decline. |
| The village hall is a great facility – much under used for a variety of reasons. Compared to many other village halls both locally and in other parts of the country it is ‘dead’. This needs to be investigated and blocks creatively overcome. |
| With an increase in numbers of elderly who in due course won’t be able to drive, we need an enterprising person to set up a taxi service or a “phone for a bus” service. |
Theme 4 – Housing
“We want local housing which is affordable, meets the needs of local residents of all ages, and encourages working families to settle in Borgue.”
| Initial Question | Yes | No |
| Do you think it’s important that our local community and others work together to make sure we have local housing which is affordable and which meets all of our needs? | 32 | 0 |
Previous Community Feedback
- New housing build: There was almost universal agreement that the area needs new affordable housing (both for rent and sale), not least for those who wish to work locally.
- It was felt that providing housing and facilities for working aged people with young families was essential for the sustainability of the village.
- Restrictions on 2nd homes and holiday lets were also thought desirable and some suggested they could be offered as short-term rental properties during low season.
- Encouragement to re-develop derelict / brown field sites was popular and there were a few ideas about potential use of the school as a site for affordable housing.
Proposed Actions and Responses
| Do you agree with these actions? | Yes | No |
| 4.1 Undertake a Housing Needs and Demands survey which also explores specific locations that might be suitable for new affordable housing | 17 Comment: But it needs to be genuinely affordable for low waged folk. | 0 |
| 4.2 Build partnerships with Housing Associations and South of Scotland Community Housing to create plans for implementation, including ensuring any new building would meet the highest environmental standards. | 20 Comment: Yes, but ensure no second homes, AirBnB etc. | 0 |
| 4.3 Request that the Council’s Local Development Plan includes plans for the development of affordable housing for rent and for purchase and to ensure full council tax premiums are charged for second homes. | 19 Comment: Sounds excellent but sadly the second home owners can afford it. I don’t know what the answer is and I say that as someone from a family with a second home in Borgue. I am ashamed that it sits empty most of the year. | 0 |
Other Comments
| Affordable to low-wage earners. No back-door schemes for second homes and AirBnB. |
| It is vital to have affordable housing for the village to survive. No housing brings no school, no jobs, no future. |
| Housing for working families, not retirees or incomers. |
| We need local housing that is affordable so we don’t lose our young population, but this population also has to be able to get to work and school etc. and be able to make young friends – i.e. don’t isolate. |
| Why is everyone obsessed with “new affordable housing”? |
| Limits on second homes and holiday homes. |
| It is a pity that a number of farm workers cottages are left empty and becoming derelict when they could be brought back into use if owners were more positive, like Culraven Farm. |
| Don’t restrict holiday lets. They bring in employment and support the local economy. |
| Second home owners already pay double council tax – this should be ring-fenced to benefit the local community, not Dumgal in general. |
| We need to support the sort of employment that will keep people here and stay to bring up their families. |
| Second home council tax premium is paid now to D&G (twice normal rate). Why is none of this ring-fenced to support local community projects? |
| House design should be attractive and complement existing building design – not modern ‘boxes’ as seem to be appearing. It should also be ‘mixed size’ and linear rather than a ‘block’ estate development. |
Theme 5 – Economy, Enterprise & Employment
“We want a stronger local economy with more opportunities for local enterprise and employment.”
| Initial Question | Yes | No |
| Do you think it’s important that our local community and others work together to build a stronger local economy with more opportunities for local enterprise and employment? | 27 | 0 |
Previous Community Feedback
- Employment: There was universal agreement in comments about the need to promote new employment, either within existing or new sectors, and to encourage new premises / infrastructure that would assist all to maintain or grow employment and enterprise opportunities.
- Young people also expressed worries about the lack of employment and enterprise opportunities and a wish to see the economy of Borgue grow.
- There was also a desire that the contribution of farming to the local economy should be valued more by local residents.
- Planning: There were some fears that the new Local Authority Planning Policy might slow down or limit local planning applications.
- Infrastructure: some businesses talked about a lack of office, workshop and storage facilities and would like to see better infrastructure to support businesses of varying sizes to base themselves in Borgue.
- Community-led enterprise: Suggestions were made around the potential for several community-led enterprises including:
- A community café
- A community shop providing for locals, selling local produce and supplying holiday makers
- A bunkhouse / youth hostel
- A business and enterprise hub with rented IT facilities, workshops , studios and an outlet shop for
products and produce.
Proposed Actions and Responses
| Do you agree with these actions? | Yes | No |
| 5.1 Investigate feasibility of developing community led enterprises such as a community café, a community shop, community-led enterprise hub and a bunkhouse | 16 Comment: A café/shop would be excellent. | 0 |
| 5.2 Support local employers in both new and traditional sectors to develop apprenticeships and traineeships for young people | 15 Comment: Yes indeed, the wealth of local crafts. | 0 |
| 5.3 Create plans to develop a business and enterprise hub including work units, offices, coworking space, studios and an outlet shop for to sell locally produced goods | 16 Comment: Men & women should be utilised! Comment: Such an excellent idea. There are so many folk desperate to buy locally-sourced goods and wares. | 0 |
| 5.4 Request that the Council’s Local Development Plan safeguards local assets which could be used community-led enterprise) such as the village hall and the school. | 14 | 0 |
Other Comments
| I think everyone needs to know what happens already so we can build on the work of others and collaborate. Borgue.org could help here – thank you for running this. E.g. something like the old-fashioned yellow pages with adverts and updates. Perhaps the Facebook page could be expanded? Lots of people look at this. |
| Activities which promote Borgue village and the wider peninsula should be encouraged. If the economy is to grow, more people need to a) know about Borgue and b) be encouraged to come here. |
| Good broadband is critical to home workers. |
| Surely a National Park in the area would be a good way to attract investment and employment opportunities. |
| Be careful to support the local businesses that already exist before expanding. |
| A crematorium in the area would provide employment – travelling to Stranraer or Dumfries would be unnecessary |
| Recognise there’s a whole range of business in the area (small to large). |
| There are many self-employed people and small businesses in the area. We need to be recognised as contributing to the local economy. At present we are ‘invisible’. (Comment: I don’t agree – you are much valued) (Comment: You are valued. What do you want the community to do?) |
| There are few opportunities for the community to benefit directly from the Coo Palace visitors. (Comment: Why not approach Coo Palace with suggestions how this could be remedied easily?) (Comment: Be nice for locals to swim in their pool) (Comment: Unfortunately – have you seen the size of the pool – incredibly small) |
Theme 6 – Stronger Community
“We want a stronger local community where everyone feels included and where we work together for our common good.”
| Initial Question | Yes | No |
| Do you think it’s important that our local community becomes stronger, that we all feel included, and that we all work together for our common good? | 30 | 0 |
Previous Community Feedback
- Community development and involvement:
- There were a lot of positive comments about the friendly community and desire for a positive future.
- There was lots of evidence of local people volunteering their time to run activities and projects to
- improve the area in different ways.
- Some groups which ran community activities did however find it difficult to sustain their activity due to challenges in (for example):
- attracting and retaining volunteers
- getting support from local organisations and businesses
- raising the funds for the premises, resources and equipment they need
- advertising their groups and communicating effectively with volunteers, local community
members and relevant organisations / businesses
- It was clear that these groups would benefit from some additional support and capacity building.
- Lastly, in the comments about things that people didn’t like about their local community, there was
clear sadness and disappointment that Borgue seems to have lost some of its community spirit. Many
put this down to various tensions between different individuals and groups within the community and
spoke about a wish that everyone could work together to improve the local area.
Proposed Actions and Responses
| Do you agree with these actions? | Yes | No |
| 6.1 Undertake a joint campaign to help recruit volunteers- both for local groups, and to help the delivery the actions discussed today. | 20 | 0 |
| 6.2 Find funding and a delivery organisation to run activities which bring the community together, and support people to work together for the common good. This might include: – developing better communication methods – supporting volunteering and community involvement – gathering people’s views – running activities to bring people together and develop community spirit – making sure everyone has a voice in local decision-making | 22 | 0 |
Other Comments
| Build understanding . Agriculture businesses face lots of pressures from all sides and are vital to local economy and young people. Local support would be appreciated |
| Volunteer driver scheme possible |
| Borgue kindness – everyone wins |
| The community seems “pocketed” into different groups – not always working collaboratively. Until this can be improved any initiatives will remain siloed. |
| Everyone is entitled to an opinion. It would be lovely if this was always expressed thoughtfully and respectfully. People need a better understanding of why things happen in the countryside area e.g. farming techniques that are essential and historic. |
| Dialogue and respectful communication is key. |
| An understanding that everyone that lives and works in the area is a member of the local community – irrespective of how long they have been here. As such everyone should have a voice. |
| Compromise is needed at all levels of the community. |
| We are lucky to have a well appointed village hall with disabled access which is for everyone’s use. |
Borgue Village Potential Developments
Areas around Borgue village were identified as being potentially suitable for additional housing development. These are indicated by blue dashed lines on the map below:
The comments below were made about the potential for developments around Borgue village:
| The Glebe field, to the north of Borgue village, between Westray House (the Manse) and Blackbriggs Cottage, was suggested as a potential for new housing development. |
| There is a vacant site in Chapelton between Ardgour Cottage and Shunnery Cottage, that could be a location for future housing development. |
| There could be other sites for housing development outside of Borgue village to meet the needs of the farming community who would benefit from having their employees living on or near to the farms. |
| Two suggestions were made for development of the old garage site in the middle of the village. One was for a café/shop and the other was for it to become a community park. |
| It was pointed out that one of the proposed housing development sites, opposite Kirkbank, is where the Borgue community septic tank is located and the site may not be suitable for housing. |
| Any development at the village hall corner should be restricted due to poor access at a dangerous junction |
| The character of the village should be retained and imaginative development should build on existing – as if previous building had been continued, i.e. not modern estate development. |
| There was a suggestion for additional housing in the field to the west of Laburnum Cottage and Aldersyde but there was also a comment that access to this site would be difficult and it would be preferable to locate new developments along the roadside on the edge of the village. |
| Develop along existing roads (dependent on land ownership) |
| Isn’t this rather dependent on the landowners? Is there any community owned land? |
Borgue Area Map and Suggestions
Several people marked their “treasured landscape” areas on the map. These are shown as the areas bounded by the dashed blue lines below:
Other comments were made on this map:
| All of it is treasured (supported by 5 other people) |
| Locked gate at Kirkandrews |
What’s Missing?
“What do you feel isn’t covered under the 6 themes or the proposed actions?”
| Common sense. |
| Overarching theme/vision. |
| Things we can all do is be kinder, kindness to each other and the environment. |
| WhatsApp group for car/lifts. |