STP (06/02/2017) – Yesterday, BBC
Sunday Politics Scotland featured a pilot project which looks to turn Cumnock
into the nation’s first Green Town. The report can be viewed from 52.30 on
BBC I-Player here.
With the backing of a consortium
of key organisations, the project would see a range of renewable energy sources
being harnessed to make the town energetically self-sustainable, concomitantly
creating good quality jobs in the area.
Cllr Elena Whitham of East Ayrshire Council said that
hydroelectric, solar energy and mass boilers could all be part of the solution.
Biomass from crops was also cited as a potential new energy source for the
town. “There’s lots of Cumnocks throughout Scotland, and we need to be looking
to how we can futureproof the economy in these areas,” she stated.
Local resident Bobby Grierson added that this would be a five year
plan, and that “it’s important for the local community to be involved in the
decision-making about the future of the community of Cumnock”. He also spoke of
the success of recent community events and engagement initiatives.
Chief Officer of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, Phil Prentice, meanwhile
explained the rationale of the project, which could help the Scottish
Government to meet its ambitious carbon emissions targets.
“Close by, you’ve got very successful
towns that have re-invented around a theme. If you cross down into Dumfries and
Galloway you’ve got Castle Douglas, which is a similar size [to Cumnock]: it’s
now the food capital of the south of Scotland”.
“Further on down you’ve got Kirkcudbright,
which is Scotland’s artist capital, and then next to that, you’ve got Wigtown
which is the nation’s book capital. So why can’t Cumnock come together and
become Scotland’s first sustainable town?”
The report can be
viewed from 52.30 on
BBC I-Player here.
Source: Scotland’s
Towns Partnership
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