West Kilbride
The final item of business today is a members' business debate on motion S1M-756, in the name of Allan Wilson, on West Kilbride: Scotland's craft town. The debate will be concluded after 30 minutes without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament welcomes the consultant's report confirming the feasibility of establishing West Kilbride as Scotland's Craft Town; congratulates Councillor Elizabeth McLardy and the West Kilbride Initiative on the vision and persistence with which they have pursued this objective; recognises the economic and social impact which the initiative can secure for West Kilbride; believes that it can provide a new and important focal point for the Scottish crafts industry as a whole, and looks forward to rapid progress towards a successful outcome.
It has been a long day and I have no wish to prolong business unnecessarily. However, I will make several points in support of the motion. I wish to put on record my personal tribute to Liz McLardy, Dale Hughes, Ashley Pringle and the West Kilbride community initiative more generally for their persistence and vision in promoting West Kilbride as Ayrshire's, and prospectively Scotland's, craft town.
I take responsibility at the outset for promoting the aims and aspirations of the initiative beyond the immediate boundaries of Ayrshire to incorporate Scotland as a whole. I do so because I believe the concept to be, in the current jargon—as Fergus Ewing most recently said—sustainable. The consultant's report and feasibility study supports that view.
For the uninitiated, West Kilbride is a small town of 5,000-odd souls in my constituency of Cunninghame North. As the report says, it enjoys a favourable location on the edge of Clyde Muirshiel regional park, on the shores of the Firth of Clyde, looking out to the isle of Arran.
The area comprises West Kilbride and the small suburb of Seamill. It is a few miles from the larger towns of Largs and Ardrossan and roughly 20 miles from each of the regional centres of Greenock, Ayr and Kilmarnock. Its geographical location and the sociological trend towards out-of-town shopping and commerce have combined to the extent that there is concern about the quality of West Kilbride's townscape and fears that accelerated decline will destroy the busy hub of community life that has hitherto been valued as a key element in the character of the town.
I want to be positive—like the community—but I will give members a depressing statistic. In the 1980 official guide to West Kilbride and Seamill, 46 local businesses placed adverts. Thirty of those have since closed, with others coming and going over the period. That trend is anything but unique to West Kilbride, but what is unique is the community's response. It has turned adversity in on itself and converted West Kilbride into Ayrshire's—or Scotland's—craft town as the principal, but not the only, means of regenerating the town centre and the wider community. I recognise the impact that the initiative can have for West Kilbride and its residents.
The study that demonstrates the financial feasibility of the project was jointly funded by Enterprise Ayrshire, North Ayrshire Council and British Energy, which is a key local employer. Given that tomorrow we are debating the enterprise network, it is opportune to praise the partnership as a model example of the promotion of traditional enterprise—the crafts—in a modern business setting. The initiative is a prime example of how traditional values, culture, skills and heritage can be welded to modern marketing and promotional activity to boost economic activity. It can do so principally in the area of tourism, but it can also boost local enterprise, entrepreneurship and skills training as an integral part of enhancing our cultural heritage. The cluster strategy that underpins the initiative is one that is favoured by the Executive and the chief executive of Scottish Enterprise. It can succeed.
Niche marketing, an important part of the Executive's tourism strategy, is relevant to what we are discussing. West Kilbride's inspirational model is Wigtown in Kirkcudbrightshire, which has prospered since acquiring the title of Scotland's book town. The success of local crafts fairs in West Kilbride, allied with the level of craft work in the area and the growing interest among the area's public agencies in the economic potential of crafts, all suggest that the crafts theme is appropriate to West Kilbride and has great potential. All the bodies with responsibility for community regeneration must respond to the challenge of the initiative and realise that potential.
That challenge can be quantified. The report says that the most recent estimate is that the initiative requires a capital-funding package of £1.7 million. Although that challenge should not be underestimated, it should not be considered unachievable. All that is needed is for the agencies and funding bodies—including the Executive and Scottish Enterprise—to work together to promote the economic regeneration of Scottish communities. However, West Kilbride is a community with a unique and eminently marketable concept. I am sure that we can take the idea of West Kilbride as Scotland's craft town out of the realm of the feasibility study and into reality.
I congratulate Allan Wilson on securing this debate on behalf of his constituency. North Ayrshire Council's proposal to designate West Kilbride as Scotland's craft town is to be welcomed as an innovative approach to creating economic development through tourism, retail and the manufacture of traditional crafts.
The implications of this debate travel far wider than the boundaries of North Ayrshire Council. Allan Wilson mentioned the Scotland-wide aspect of the issue and touched on Wigtown, Scotland's book town. It is hoped that Wigtown will attract more than 38,000 visitors and £713,000 of tourist expenditure over the three years to 2001. Such developments are to be welcomed, and they fit in with the idea of niche marketing—an idea that is being pursued by the Scottish Executive and our tourist boards.
I hope that one specific group in my constituency will watch with interest the progress that is made in West Kilbride. There is a project to establish a Highland clearances memorial centre at Helmsdale. The group is working hard to develop a monument and archive resource centre, which will play a big part in the context of international tourism. I would like to go on record as supporting the aim of that project, which is the brainchild of Mr Dennis MacLeod, an expatriate gentleman from Sutherland who has returned to join us. He is putting money and his moral support behind the project.
Such a centre would be a genealogical masterpiece for Scotland. For far too long, we have sold ourselves short. Our history, culture, crafts and literature are of the highest quality, but they do not sell themselves. We should be more effective in reaching out to people of Scottish descent across the water. We should not be shy about profiting from the international good will and friendship that we enjoy: our Scottish accent is an international passport to smiles and recognition wherever we travel in the world.
I hope that many more members will be good enough to join the 25 who have backed my motion to extend the hand of friendship to Scotland's diaspora, which resulted from the clearances. Scotland has many attributes and riches, but our greatest asset—and, perhaps tragically, our greatest export—has always been our people. Initiatives such as craft towns, book towns and the proposed clearances project in my constituency will go a long way towards providing the quality and added value that is sought by international and domestic tourists. I fully support Allan Wilson's motion and the idea of moving out and selling what we are best at. I hope that something similar will happen—albeit in a different context—in my constituency.
I congratulate Allan Wilson on securing a debate on this topic, and I join him in acknowledging the role that has been played by Councillor Elizabeth McLardy and the West Kilbride initiative team in developing and supporting the proposal of West Kilbride as a craft town. The proposed project, as Allan has outlined, is a story of community-based partnership, which is why it has all the ingredients for success if it is given the right support.
As the member for the adjoining constituency, I am happy to support the proposal. As well as further encouraging the principle of town-centre regeneration—something of which I very much approve—it would enhance and support the tourism infrastructure of the area. North Ayrshire is developing and competing in traditional tourist markets and niche markets such as green tourism and sport tourism. The contribution that Harbourside in my constituency is making in the provision of facilities is substantial. In addition, the Big Idea inventor centre, the Magnum leisure centre and the proposed Southern Gailles golf complex are contributing to the growing reputation of Ayrshire as a tourist centre. A craft town in North Ayrshire would provide a further tourism boost and would be welcomed.
I know West Kilbride well. When I drove through it recently, the "For sale" and "For lease" signs in the town centre reminded me of the town centre of Kilwinning four or five years ago. At that time, Kilwinning was in a similar position, but, through the incentive of becoming a college town, the hard work of the development association and local councillors, and the good will of the local people, Kilwinning became a joy to visit. I am proud to say that last year it won the Scotland in bloom award for attractive town-centre displays. The project that Allan Wilson has outlined today, with the support of the community, should be adopted. I am sure that, if the town is given the opportunity to develop a niche market in crafts, we will soon see West Kilbride in bloom. I am happy to support Allan Wilson's motion.
I welcome the fact that this issue is being debated today in Scotland's Parliament. I cannot imagine Westminster ever making the time to address the interests and concerns of one of Scotland's villages.
As Allan Wilson said, if it were not for the vision and determination of Councillor Liz McLardy and the members of the West Kilbride initiative, the West Kilbride craft town concept would probably not have got beyond the drawing board. Thanks to their efforts, the concept can become a reality, and they are all to be congratulated on their work.
Like most towns and villages in North Ayrshire, West Kilbride has not escaped the ravages of unemployment and industrial and economic decline. In Main Street and Ritchie Street, which are the streets on which the craft town initiative would be centred, there has been the closure of shop after shop. Nothing better signals a town or village in decline than the shutters going up on the windows in its commercial heart.
That is why it is important to remember that the West Kilbride craft town initiative is not just about attracting craft-based projects and exhibitions to the town. It is not just about enhancing West Kilbride's tourism potential. It is also about re-establishing the heart of the village and securing a prosperous future for its residents. Of course, using the Barony church for permanent exhibitions and sales of craftwork, relocating the West Kilbride museum from the public hall, and bringing musical and drama productions to the village, are central to the initiative. However, the opportunity that the initiative presents to act as a catalyst for the social and economic regeneration of the village is the most exciting aspect.
There are challenges ahead, but I believe that the commitment that has been shown by Liz McLardy and everyone involved in the initiative will, with the support of the local council, the local enterprise company and members of the Parliament, lead to the success of the West Kilbride initiative. West Kilbride must not become yet another dormitory town. The villagers of West Kilbride, including Seamill, need and deserve a vibrant community. This initiative can help to deliver that and it deserves the full support of the Parliament.
I agree with Kay Ullrich that one could not imagine this debate taking place at Westminster. Kay Ullrich and I, and other members, campaigned for a devolved Parliament, within the United Kingdom, so that we could debate such issues here.
However, when Allan Wilson listed all the attributes of West Kilbride—its proximity to the Clyde and to Muirshiel park—he inadvertently forgot to mention that one of its strengths was its proximity to Renfrewshire, and all the benefits that that brings. Although Allan Wilson, as the local member for Cunninghame North, is right to advance the claims of West Kilbride and the wider area, he does the Parliament a service by raising the fundamental issue of the contribution that craft makes to the Scottish economy and to tourism. We often undervalue individual craft and artistic skills—Allan Wilson has described their value to West Kilbride and the surrounding communities.
As Jamie Stone said, craft makes a contribution to Scotland's standing abroad and shows the wider diaspora that there is still something with which it can identify. That interest encourages local people to develop craft skills. Although there are several places in Scotland that might claim to be Scotland's craft town or village, Allan Wilson has said to the Scottish Executive and the Parliament that we need to take the matter seriously. I hope that what will come from the debate is a recognition that we need to be more strategic in our work. Over the coming years, I hope that we will be able to say that the Parliament has contributed to Scotland's craft industries, which in turn contribute to Scotland's economy, artistic image and tourist reputation.
I see that I have some 13 minutes to respond, but I suspect that I shall use only seven.
Like previous speakers, I thank Allan Wilson, not for securing a debate, but for securing a discussion on the establishment of West Kilbride as Ayrshire's craft town. On behalf of the Scottish Executive, I welcome the consultants' report on the feasibility of establishing West Kilbride as Ayrshire's craft town.
I would also like to congratulate Councillor Elizabeth McLardy and the West Kilbride initiative on the vision and persistence with which they have taken forward their project, which is an excellent example of local initiative driven forward by local people.
We are delighted that Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire helped to part-fund the positive consultants' report that examined the feasibility of establishing West Kilbride as Ayrshire's craft town. I understand that potential funding sources have been identified in the consultants' report for the West Kilbride initiative project and that those will be pursued in due course. Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire is ready and happy to engage in further discussions with the West Kilbride initiative, to help it to move the project forward. We welcome that involvement. I stress that the consultants' report clearly identified the economic and social impact that the initiative can secure for West Kilbride.
The project is a good example of a cross-cutting initiative. As Hugh Henry said, it brings together tourism, arts and crafts, economic development and area regeneration. There is a particular focus on the regeneration of West Kilbride's town centre, which, as Irene Oldfather said, complements the council's local plan.
Although the proposal is to establish West Kilbride as Ayrshire's craft town, it will act as a new and important focal point for the Scottish crafts industry as a whole. Allan Wilson has already made a pitch for the national status of West Kilbride and I am confident that he and other colleagues will continue to strive for that status.
I emphasise the importance of crafts and the beneficial economic effect of a crafts cluster. It has been well evidenced that the cluster effect in any sector creates strong and important linkages leading to valuable business synergies. It presents an ideal opportunity for West Kilbride to benefit through establishing itself as a leading location for Scottish crafts.
It is worth noting that Scotland accounts for more than its expected share of the British crafts community—14 per cent as compared to 9 per cent of the adult population as a whole. Around 1 per cent of self-employed adults in Scotland are estimated to earn their living through crafts. I had the pleasure of visiting the Orkney islands only yesterday, where I saw some excellent examples of such work. There are people working in that important industry throughout the country. The Scottish Arts Council is committed to raising the profile of crafts, to strengthening the network of organisations that promote and present them, and to encouraging makers to develop their creative, technical and business skills and to participate in international networks.
Much reference has been made to Wigtown, Scotland's book town, in Dumfries and Galloway. That is a fine example of a successful local initiative, which has provided inspiration for West Kilbride's proposal, as Allan Wilson said. The Wigtown book town project started in 1996 with one large shop in the town square, and by late 1999 it had expanded to 16 book or book-related shops. The targets set for Wigtown include attracting about 42,000 extra visitors over the three years to 2001. The town is comfortably on course to exceed that, and I have every confidence that that successful model can be replicated in West Kilbride.
Jamie Stone highlighted the potential for his constituency, and I am sure that he will be doing so after the summer recess.
The nucleus for the idea of establishing West Kilbride as a craft town came out of the successful craft fairs held in the community centre over the past three years. Those craft fairs alone also helped to raise the profile of a number of craft workers who were already operating in or near West Kilbride.
We are all delighted that the initiative has secured local private sector support, which is important, and we are impressed by the wider range of activities undertaken under the initiative, featuring economic and community development and environmental protection and improvement. They include the provision of sports facilities, community facilities, guided walks, arts development and traffic management.
Allan Wilson rightly referred to the new strategy for Scottish tourism, launched by my department, the enterprise and lifelong learning department, earlier this year. Scotland has the assets to be a world-class tourism destination: it has magnificent scenery, a pristine natural environment, cultural and historical richness, world-class sporting attractions and beautiful, vibrant cities.
Employment in tourism-related industries is estimated to have increased by 58 per cent over the past 30 years. The establishment of West Kilbride as Ayrshire's craft town can only reinforce the town's position on Ayrshire's tourism map as a prominent visitor attraction.
This is an excellent example of a locally led, organic initiative—a well thought through, detailed proposal. It is key to improving West Kilbride's town centre environment while creating a craft cluster that benefits all businesses, increases the number of visitors and enhances West Kilbride's position in Ayrshire and Ayrshire's position in Scotland.
I sincerely hope that the West Kilbride community initiative partnership can continue its exemplary work and can secure the necessary funding to take the project forward. I look forward to learning about its future progress.
Meeting closed at 17:52.