Blackburn was selected as one of the nine small towns in Scotland to support place-based climate action, working collaboratively with local stakeholders and the community. Climate Action Towns (CAT) supports the Scottish Government’s ‘Programme for Government 2020-21: Protecting Scotland, Renewing Scotland’.
The programme is being delivered by Architecture and Design Scotland (A&DS) who have engaged with the local community of Blackburn and the stakeholders working in the area.
The Place Standard tool with a Climate lens was used to engage with the community and helped to identify the priorities for Blackburn Future, the Plan and has been used to develop actions for services and the community to work on. The year 1 report provided some key learning and opportunities for Blackburn which include:
• Traffic and parking –this scored low within the community and highlights the need for this to be included in the plan.
• Work and the local economy – this also scored low due to employment opportunities in the area being limited along with young people noting that access to education, training and employment opportunities are low resulting in them needing to leave Blackburn.
• Feeling safe – primary school children express concerns around feeling safe and there is a notable difference in perception between those that do feel safe and those that don’t
The Year 2 report highlighted that Blackburn is a compact town which should support walking and cycling easily. With strong community organisations there is the framework to incorporate acting on Climate Change along with existing community projects and initiatives.
This work has developed an understanding of the aspirations of the people of Blackburn
mainly around getting around easily, promoting active travel, improved public transport and strengthening the availability of shops and services that support fresh food, re-using existing assets and recycling materials and improving existing greenspace and access to it.
The final year of the project has been as busy as the previous 2 with the groups working to explore mechanisms for delivery of the Climate Actions identified within the Blackburn Future Plan.
Work completed in Year 3:-
- A mapping report titled ‘A Healthy and Connected Blackburn’ was recently published, and resulted from discussions in Blackburn that focussed often on places people value, along with the desired ability to get around easily. The report also included an accessibility audit relating to getting around the village and this was assisted by Change in Blackburn Youth Committee (CIB), Women’s Social Service Club and Blackburn Community Council.
- On 28th September 2023, 46 people, (which included the members of CIB), representing a breadth of Blackburn residents, community groups, schools and organisations along with staff from WLC attended the Blackburn Climate Risk Adaptation Workshop. The workshop was designed to influence the Blackburn Local Place Plan and forming a key part of the Climate Action Towns work led by A&DS. Participants learned about the key impacts of Climate change to Scotland, West Lothian and Blackburn; reflected on the current and future impacts of Climate change in Blackburn; learned the definitions of adaptation mitigation and resilience in the context of the changing climate and; made suggestions for adaptation measures appropriate and specific to Blackburn which will help to inform the Local Place Plan.
‘A Healthy and Connected Blackburn’ report and ‘Blackburn’s Local Place Plan’ which CIB played an integral part in developing can be viewed on the document section of CAB’s website at:
Link to the documents page.
CIB have been actively involved in the Climate Action Towns project since it began in 2001. They have been involved in discussions, workshops, site visits etc. and have also featured on the videos produced for Climate Action Towns. Climate Action Towns Final Gathering was held on the 28th March at the Engine Shed, Stirling. The event was to launch the final Climate Action Towns Report, Toolkit and Video. 2 members of CIB and Michelle Murray, Blackburn’s Community Regeneration Officer are interviewed on the video and a photograph of the 2 CIB members appear on the cover of the report. Michelle Murray, Lisa Haggerty Brown and the 2 members of CIB attended the final gathering where the CIB members were interviewed by various attendees.
The Climate Action Towns final report can be accessed at https://www.ads.org.uk/resource/embed-climate-action-your-town The photos used on the ADS website are mostly from work done in Blackburn and show a number of CIB members.
The videos can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/10277515
The toolkit can be accessed at https://www.ads.org.uk/resource/climate-action-towns-toolkit