South Scotland MSP Emma Harper, on Friday the 1st of March, attended and spoke at the first meeting of the Stranraer Moving and Revitalising Taskforce (SMART), established by Stranraer Councillor Ros Surtees.
The key aim of the new taskforce is to progress and seek urgent action to be taken for the 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.
Commenting, Ms Harper said:
“I was pleased to have been able to attend the first ever meeting to establish the Stranraer Moving and Revitalising Taskforce in Stranraer – and I congratulate my colleague Cllr Ros 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 Dumfries and Galloway 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 Ros Surtees, representing Stranraer & The Rhins, added:
“I was delighted to see so many people at the meeting. I understand that membership of the Facebook page has now topped 500.”
“I’m very keen to make sure that everyone feels included especially if they are not on Facebook and are unable to attend meetings. My aim is to communicate with all and to ensure everyone is in the loop with any action the group takes.
“I would like to thank Emma Harper MSP and the other elected members for attending this important meeting.”
