{"id":1164,"date":"2013-08-29T10:00:31","date_gmt":"2013-08-29T09:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/abbeylandsresidents.org.uk\/?p=1164"},"modified":"2022-02-12T09:44:17","modified_gmt":"2022-02-12T09:44:17","slug":"ten-things-to-improve-our-high-street","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/ten-things-to-improve-our-high-street\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten things to improve Dunbar High Street"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/templelands.com\/files\/2010\/06\/West-View.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" \" title=\"High Streets are Changing\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/templelands.com\/files\/2010\/06\/West-View.jpg?w=600\" alt=\"\"  \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">High Streets are Changing, but are they changing for the better?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">There are literally dozens and dozens of ways to improve our High Streets and as you would expect some people have thought about this at greater length than me, so I am not going to give you an orthodox list. Some of the issues that are faced are structural and other problems deeply embedded (e.g. economic hardship), while some things still are likely to be cyclical, if you believe economic theory.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">My list boils it down to a list of things that &#8216;we can do&#8217;. I believe we should be:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>building some form of partnership of local business and residents<br \/>\n(but this implies releasing residents from apathy\/disengagement and business from small mindedness)<\/li>\n<li>exposing the idea of place and identity, and above all experience and then developing a town brand (why should people visit our High Street if it ain&#8217;t really that great &#8211; let&#8217;s not pretend we&#8217;re better if we&#8217;re not)<\/li>\n<li>improving the look and function of the streetscape and streetscene (people visit and return to lovely places, even if they can&#8217;t afford everything and must be able to move adequately but without making it too easy to get away)<\/li>\n<li>examining how new entrants are attracted into the marketplace while keeping the best of the old (nudging out the worst sounds harsh, but importantly is there something we can do to attract viable new or novel businesses and business models? Aren&#8217;t there enough Pound stores and Take Aways?)<\/li>\n<li>looking at how the street is made accessible to all (but without obsessing about the motor car &#8211; if you think parking is a problem here then you need to get out more!)<\/li>\n<li>improving the feeling of safety and security (by which I mean safe to cross the road or cycle in the road without worrying that a car won&#8217;t stop because it is their legal right to run you over)<\/li>\n<li><del>extending trading into evenings and especially w\/es, while ensuring the night-time economy isn&#8217;t detrimental to residents or other users the following day<\/del> (pubs, convenience stores and take-aways please note that the excesses are sorted out by tax payers money, so I won&#8217;t be favouring anything that extends the convenience format)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--more--><br \/>\nHere&#8217;s my short menu of ideas to improve Dunbar High Street in no particular order nor importance &#8211; a starter for 10 if you like. \u00a0Over the next 10 days, I plan to develop each of the ideas below and relate them to the themes above, so watch this space.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a title=\"Enhance safety for pedestrians and cyclists\" href=\"http:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/enhance-safety-for-pedestrians-and-cyclists\/\">Enhance safety for pedestrians and cyclists<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Create a Community Garden\" href=\"http:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/create-a-community-garden\/\">Create a central town community garden<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Improve signposting and free up private car parking\" href=\"http:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/improve-signposting-and-free-up-private-car-parking\/\">Improve signposting of public parking and free up private car parking<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Establish trees on Dunbar High Street\" href=\"http:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/establish-trees-on-dunbar-high-street\/\">Establish specimen trees along the High Street<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Repair pavements and crossings\" href=\"http:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/repair-pavements-and-crossings\/\">Repair pavements and crossings<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Provide better litter facilities on street\" href=\"http:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/provide-better-litter-facilities-on-street\/\">Provide better litter facilities on street<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Form an association of residents\" href=\"http:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/form-an-association-of-residents\/\">Form an association of residents and setup a Dunbar Heritage Society<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Take over high street shop fronts\" href=\"http:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/elc-take-over-high-street-shop-fronts\/\">Take over vacant high street shops<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Funding High Street regeneration\" href=\"http:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/develop-a-sponsored-street-improvement-scheme\/\">Funding High Street regeneration<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Enhance the overall Dunbar proposition and experience<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>I often hear, &#8220;what if we had some form of community based budgeting, we might be able to regain control and redirect what happens in the public realm?&#8221; A mayor and a local budget. Well maybe, but for now I would say it has never been clear to policy makers how the list of everyone&#8217;s wants adds up to more than the sum of the parts or even a hill of beans for that matter. There is also a plurality of views and it is vital that the views of certain sections &#8211; however powerful and vocal &#8211; do not come to dominate or dictate the direction of the debate. No small challenge then?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are literally dozens and dozens of ways to improve our High Streets and as you would expect some people have thought about this at greater length than me, so I am not going to give you an orthodox list. Some of the issues that are faced are structural and other problems deeply embedded (e.g. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/ten-things-to-improve-our-high-street\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Ten things to improve Dunbar High Street<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":155,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion","category-ten-things-to-improve-dunbar"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1200,"url":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/form-an-association-of-residents\/","url_meta":{"origin":1164,"position":0},"title":"Form an association of residents","author":"templar","date":"September 6, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"A primary motivation for setting up a residents association might be to organise and articulate the residents' perspective, which to my mind has long been neglected on Dunbar High Street. Tenants and Residents Associations typically: keep residents informed of the issues affecting their area campaign on local issues e.g. be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Opinion&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Opinion","link":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/topics\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Brown-signs","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2013\/09\/Brown-signs1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2013\/09\/Brown-signs1.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2013\/09\/Brown-signs1.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1429,"url":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/destination-dunbar-or-dormitory-town\/","url_meta":{"origin":1164,"position":1},"title":"Destination Dunbar","author":"templar","date":"September 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"My presentation notes. The fortunes of High streets have always waxed and waned, but the most recent decline of high streets seems inexorable and attempts to reverse it labelled by some as \"mission impossible\". But the decline started long before the rise of the internet and comparison shopping, or out\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/topics\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2013\/09\/Dunbar-Destination-e1689691348818.jpg?fit=1000%2C808&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2013\/09\/Dunbar-Destination-e1689691348818.jpg?fit=1000%2C808&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2013\/09\/Dunbar-Destination-e1689691348818.jpg?fit=1000%2C808&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2013\/09\/Dunbar-Destination-e1689691348818.jpg?fit=1000%2C808&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1194,"url":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/establish-trees-on-dunbar-high-street\/","url_meta":{"origin":1164,"position":2},"title":"Establish trees on Dunbar High Street","author":"templar","date":"September 3, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago.The second best time is now.\u2019Anonymous With heaps of published evidence that trees provide multiple benefits to people and the environment, especially in urban settings you'd think our streets would be choking with them. Street trees seem to me to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Opinion&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Opinion","link":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/topics\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2013\/09\/tree-protection.png?fit=600%2C412&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2013\/09\/tree-protection.png?fit=600%2C412&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2013\/09\/tree-protection.png?fit=600%2C412&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1196,"url":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/repair-pavements-and-crossings\/","url_meta":{"origin":1164,"position":3},"title":"Repair pavements and crossings","author":"templar","date":"September 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"What happens to the street scene when you remove the cars? One of the defining characteristics of the Dunbar streetscene are the relatively wide pavements along with the cobbled sets that accent the pavement edges, pattern the parking bays and, until recently, framed the pedestrian crossings. The street scheme is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Opinion&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Opinion","link":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/topics\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2013\/09\/1-DSC_0106.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2013\/09\/1-DSC_0106.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2013\/09\/1-DSC_0106.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2013\/09\/1-DSC_0106.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":990,"url":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/petition\/","url_meta":{"origin":1164,"position":4},"title":"RESIDENTIAL PARKING FOR ABBEYLANDS: KEEP THE CUL DE SAC QUIET &#038; SAFE","author":"Barodunum","date":"August 14, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Petition to formalise residential parking and establish an attractive street scheme in the Abbeylands cul de sac. \u00a0Say no to a public parking lot. We've moved the petition to Change.org. If you only signed a paper version, it won't harm if you sign online again. Only complete this form if\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Events&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/topics\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"test-card","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2012\/02\/test-card.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2012\/02\/test-card.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2012\/02\/test-card.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/files\/2012\/02\/test-card.png?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1142,"url":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/letter-not-everyone-wants-public-car-parking-at-abbeylands\/","url_meta":{"origin":1164,"position":5},"title":"Letter to press: Not everyone wants public car parking at Abbeylands","author":"templar","date":"August 13, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Not everyone wants public car parking at Abbeylands, Dunbar. Over 50 signatures, all people who live nearby, believe resident parking is a higher priority. Residents have no dedicated parking provision, unlike in Haddington or North Berwick, and what long term parking is now available will be reduced to nothing if\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/topics\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/155"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1164"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1164\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2571,"href":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1164\/revisions\/2571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}