Town centre toolkit
It is important that we share our experiences and help other towns understand and overcome the challenges that can often be faced in developing good projects to support our communities and places. More importantly, we want to highlight the exceptional community work that has been and continues to be delivered throughout Aberdeenshire.
The toolkit document has been produced to showcase the achievements of communities from all over the shire, and will hopefully inspire communities to be ambitious, set targets and seek the relevant support and resources to make their plans come to fruition. Links, tools and tips have been added to each section as a resource to support future projects.
Often, when funding becomes available, it comes with short deadlines and it takes time to agree the vision, establish community support and to develop projects. This toolkit highlights a selection of Aberdeenshire’s community projects and gives the relevant tips and links to the support available. We hope it will provide information, ideas, and examples of how communities and organisations can collaborate to make town centres vibrant, creative, and accessible thriving places.
All projects are different, varying in their complexity and scale. However, what they all have in common is the requirement for resources, energy and commitment. Some of the featured projects require volunteers, some have been successful with significant external finance whilst others have not required funding, some employ or commission a project manager, others highlight the importance of awards, marketing and social media to raise the profile of their town. All of the case studies are ambitious in their own way, helping our town centre communities to thrive, and they all have experiences to share, from small town centre initiatives to new community buildings.
The Town Centre Toolkit has been produced by Aberdeenshire Council and its partners to highlight information relating to the town centre support available, and to showcase town centre case studies which have been developed by members of the public, businesses, community councils, voluntary organisations and the public sector.
The toolkit case studies have been laid out into key themes:
- Town centre vision
- Community events
- Business support
- Town centre initiatives
- Community development
- Awards
View Aberdeenshire Town Centre Toolkit (PDF 6.9MB).
Contact us
If you would like to discuss any of these or seek advice on a project you would like to develop, please email us at econdev@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.