The story so far of how local people are helping to shape the future of Stranraer’s Waterfront.
Stranraer is at a pivotal point in its history. Thirteen years ago, Stena Line moved its ferry terminal from Stranraer to Cairnryan. This resulted in a downturn, but it certainly hasn’t dented the town’s incredible pride and potential.
Now Stranraer stands on the brink of a new chapter, with some significant, exciting developments coming soon. These include Waterfront projects already written into the community-led Place Plan: a new marina, a watersports centre, and a marine research facility. And your iconic former George Hotel is being redeveloped to include cultural facilities, a bouldering wall and a bunkhouse.
Who’s Involved So Far?
873 local people, 27 local groups and companies, you gave us 275 consultation responses, 350 of you came along to the Waterfront Festival and we would love even more of you to be part of this voyage.
What Have We Done?
We used art and creativity to reach parts of the town and community that regular consultations sometimes struggle to reach.
Maya Rose Edwards Came to Town
Maya is an artist with lots of experience working collaboratively in communities, especially with people who don’t often get a chance to have their say. Maya encourages fresh, ambitious ideas and brings an invigorating sense of joy and enthusiasm. Maya ran six months of fabulous creative workshops with adults, families and schools. They made kites, sails, boats, beach plastic sculptures, and portholes to an exciting new future. Maya’s unexpected public installations prompted loads of discussion, encouraging everyone to think differently about the Waterfront.
Harbour Wall Graffiti
This grabbed plenty of attention! Proud and enthusiastic, it shows our young people want a say about the Waterfront. They really love Stranraer, and they are the town’s future.
Silhouettes
Our young people have never set foot on the East Pier. They have never seen the view from there, never seen their horizons without barriers. Can we reimagine an ambitious alternative for this place?
The End of the Line / The Turn of the Tide
By making these two phrases dance on the sea together, Maya brought together the past and the future, the naysayers and the forward-thinkers.
Raise the Sails: A Waterfront Festival
- A glorious, inclusive, free-to-attend, daytime festival
- A celebration of Stranraer’s Waterfront, past, present and future
- An open-air conversation on the Waterfront, about the Waterfront
- A forum for groups and organisations to share ideas and get to know each other
Your Thoughts So Far
- The Waterfront should be a place for everyone, not just for specific groups
- A community event space should be central to the Waterfront
- Local people must be involved in the design process
- Let’s work to involve people that haven’t yet had a say
- Think carefully about whether proposals are for locals, tourists, or both
- Make sure that young people have a voice and are genuinely included
- Recognise that the East Pier will always have a big impact on Stranraer’s Waterfront
What’s Next?
- We’ll continue to use creativity to involve you, Stranraer’s community, in building a Waterfront you can feel proud of.
- Your ideas will be further developed and will influence the final plans for Stranraer’s Waterfront.
- Your central info point is the Creative Stranraer Hub on King Street. This is where you can find out what’s going on and – crucially – be involved!
The Stranraer Waterfront Community Engagement Project was delivered by The Stove Network and Creative Stranraer, supported by Dumfries & Galloway Council. Special thanks to Anne Waggot Knott for her work on this project through the Research, Record and Report Commission. Images by Savannah Crosby.
