Stranraer Waterfront taskforce holds inaugural meeting

The people of Stranraer got SMART earlier this month – and that’s official!

The crowded first meeting of the SMART group, pushing the Stranraer waterfront plan forward

The first meeting was held of the Stranraer Moving and Revitalising Taskforce (SMART), organised by Stranraer Councillor Ros Surtees with the key aim to progress and seek urgent action to be taken for the long-awaited Stranraer waterfront redevelopment.

The meeting, which was attended by around 60 people, included a presentation from Dumfries and Galloway Council officials responsible for economic development across the region, as well as the opportunity for those attending to ask questions and share their thoughts.

Also attending was the area’s MSP Emma Harper who said afterwards: “I was pleased to have been able to attend the first-ever meeting to establish the Stranraer Moving and Revitalising Taskforce and I congratulate my colleague Councillor Surtees for establishing the group and her competence in chairing the meeting.

“At the meeting there were constructive comments and questions from members of the public on a number of issues. These ranged from previous poor communication and engagement with the Stranraer residents, to questions around the current owners of the land and the need for proposed accelerated timeframe for action on the Waterfront.

“I am pleased to hear a commitment to improve communication in the future. People in Stranraer have waited long enough for action to be taken to address the current state of the waterfront – and I was interested to hear the positive way the proposals were put forward by the Dumfries and Galloway Council officials.

“In the council budget, which was agreed last week, there was a clear commitment to the Stranraer Waterfront and I will continue to lobby the Council to ensure they meet this responsibility and would encourage any constituents looking for an update on my work to get in touch anytime.”

Councillor Surtees added: “I was delighted to see so many people at the meeting. I understand that membership of the Facebook page has now topped 500.”