A community participation exercise carried out on behalf of Kirknewton Community Development Trust by Vikki Hilton

A community participation exercise carried out on behalf of Kirknewton Community Development Trust

Hilton Associates February – March 2011 This project was supported by:

Contents About Kirknewton Community Development Trust: ..........................................4 How this all happened: ........................................................................................ 5 How it was done .................................................................................................. 7 What the community said about the area............................................................13 Youth views........................................................................................................18 Conclusion.......................................................................................................... 19 Appendices..........................................................................................................21

Acknowledgements Thank you to everyone in Kirknewton who participated by sharing their ideas and opinions that have made this possible. To Kirknewton Community Development Trust who enabled this to happen and have willingly given their voluntary time to support the work. Also to the collaborative working of the trust Development Officer, particularly in promoting the work through the media, social networking and a poster campaign. To the Big Lottery fund for supporting the work with an award to the trust. To West Lothian Council Economic Development for organising Ordnance Survey maps of the area. To the Community Council for the use of their community hall during the drop-in and feedback events. Without all this help and support, we could not have done all this work. Copyright Maps West Lothian Council Licence No. 100037194, 2007 ©Crown Copyright 2007. All rights reserved under West Lothian Council Licence. Process method & photographs © Vikki Hilton This report is a record of all the ideas people shared during the community engagement work. For more information contact: About Kirknewton Community Development Trust: Stewart McKenna (Chair) stew@onetel.com or Tony Foster: Development Officer tonykirknewton@gmail.com http://www.kirknewton.org/

About this community approach: Vikki Hilton 3 Priory Grove South Queensferry EH30 9LZ vikki@hiltonassociates.com 0131 331 1523

The right of Victoria Hilton to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with SECTION 77 OF THE COPYRIGHT DESIGNS AND PATENTS ACT 1988.

Kirknewton – an introduction Kirknewton lies about 10 miles to the south-west of Edinburgh in West Lothian. The village has an estimated population of 1680 1 people over the age of 16. Recent population figures put the population at around 2000 people. It is close to the A71

and only five miles from Edinburgh by-pass and three miles from Livingston. Despite this it is surprisingly rural and because of its past history it has a wide variety of housing styles and ages. Today, Kirknewton is a changing community, with new houses being built and new people moving into the area. It is close to good road links and has bus and train services. This community development work was undertaken on behalf of Kirknewton Community Development Trust (KCDT) by an independent community facilitator. This follows on from work undertaken in 2007 to engage the community around sustainable energy projects and community benefits. The 2007 work engaged 167 people in sharing their ideas about renewable energy projects. For more details see http://issuu.com/isihamba/docs/microsoft_word_-_kirknewton_newsletter_report The current community engagement work is part of a Big Lottery technical assistance grant to enable the trust to develop their plans further for a bio-digestor and or related energy projects. This work was undertaken to ensure the wider community is involved in having a say about how community benefits are targeted and to help the trust and other local organisations apply for further funding and develop a community plan.

About Kirknewton Community Development Trust: Kirknewton Community Development Trust2 is a local membership organisation. It is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity. Membership is open to anyone who lives in Kirknewton and is over 18 years of age. Kirknewton Community Development Trust aims are to: • Promote opportunities for learning and education • Encourage community-led development • Help and encourage local people to develop new skills • Promote protection and enhancement of the local environment • Promote energy efficiency in the home • Promote the use of renewable technology for generating electricity and heat • Relieve fuel poverty 1 2

Estimated population Statistics 30 June 2005, West Lothian Council http://www.kirknewton.org/community_groups/community_development_trust

The voluntary members of the local charitable trust established to manage these funds were keen to involve more local people in what should happen and to inform the planned community development plan and future funding applications. This report includes a summary of what happened during the community work, who was involved and what people said. At the end of the report, in the appendices, there is a copy of all the views and ideas people recorded.

How this all happened: A message from Stewart McKenna, Chair of Kirknewton Community Development Trust. Thanks to all those who took part in the recent Community Consultation, and here are the results. Who are we? We are Kirknewton Community Development Trust or KCDT for short. It’s a big name for a small group of seven volunteers who came together in 2006 through the Community Council to try and make a small contribution to reducing Kirknewton’s environmental footprint. We fought for “environmental justice” following the use of Kaimes Quarry as Edinburgh’s largest rubbish dump for 15 years between 1987 and 2002 despite the simple fact that Planning Consent have never been sought or granted. The outcome is that we have a community owned and registered charity (KCDT) with ideas and ambitions to make Kirknewton a better place and we have funds which we propose to invest in a renewable energy project that will deliver real benefits to our community. This consultation process builds on the earlier work undertaken in September 2007 which helped us to get to where we are today with lots more going on in the village. We have gone from 7 members to over 130 members all keen to improve and change our village. The drop-in event held on February 6th attracted nearly 120 people and the feedback sessions held in the Village Hall on Thursday 10 th and Sunday 13th March attracted 74 people and demonstrated that there were members of our community who cared. Overall over 560 people took part. We will now use all your inputs to help us form a community development plan and we hope to arrange further meetings seeking your help and enthusiasm in developing your ideas for improving life in Kirknewton. Anyone wishing to be notified of the date and time of the next meeting of our group should email tonykirknewton@gmail.com and put FEEDBACK MEETING in the subject line. Membership of KCDT is open to anyone living within Kirknewton and surroundings, so get involved – it’s your say, it's your community 5

Thanks again, Stewart McKenna (chair)

Seeking local knowledge A Participatory Appraisal (PA) approach was used which recognises the knowledge and values which already exist in an area. It is an informal, open, and transparent process, very often carried out by local people, and it is quite unlike most surveys and questionnaires. Participatory appraisal is about not making assumptions about what local people are interested in; it recognises their ability collectively to think about what it’s like living in the area, and to come up with their own solutions. At the start, no-one knew what would emerge – and that was important too. People on the committee have ideas but they really wanted to see what knowledge and ideas other people in the community had around renewable energy issues. The information in this report was gathered by the team of facilitators by talking with local people and recording everything that was said. In the end around 500 people shared their knowledge, ideas and opinions and over 2200 comments were recorded. This included young people from Balerno High School and 198 pupils from Kirknewton Primary School. In addition 74 people came to 2 feedback sessions on 10th and 13th of March. This provides a good picture of what these people think about the Kirknewton area and what could be done to make it a better place to live and or work. So now KCDT, and anyone else who has a good reason to be interested in Kirknewton, can use this information to take forward any ideas which have emerged. With your help the trust will drive forward your ideas which will help bring about positive changes and improvements and help make Kirknewton an exemplar village.

Aim of the work The aim of the work was to ensure local views help KCDT to see how benefits coming to the community through investment in renewable energy projects in the area should be spent. It was also to help inform a community development plan to take Kirknewton forward ensuring that the plan is based on community knowledge and solutions. The work aimed: • to reach as wide a cross-section of the community as possible in terms of age, gender and locality; • to encourage people to share their knowledge, ideas, opinions and solutions about the issues for their community and how positive changes might be implemented.

Why participatory appraisal? In order to understand how people feel about the area and find out what they would like to see happening, an approach was needed that would let people share their 6

views about what they thought about the area, and make suggestions about what could be done to change or improve it. Participatory appraisal recognises that the people who live in the community have the knowledge and experience to comment on it, and specifically encourages reaching out beyond the “usual suspects”. It encourages people to share their ideas and knowledge about life and local conditions. It tries to involve as wide a cross section of local people as possible, and make sure there is equal representation. This means that those whose voices are not often heard or valued – “the hidden voices” – are heard. PA recognises that people’s lives and ideas and experiences are different and sometimes complex. So it reaches out to as many members of the community as possible, and does not try to create averages or demand that everyone is the same. A single comment may be highly significant and very useful. The use of visual methods enhances and encourages participation. These provide a structure, and act as a focus for discussion and analysis. If you would like to know more about this method of working, contact Vikki Hilton of Hilton Associates3 All the outcomes in this study are based on what people have said, and we have recorded them all as important. Please do read all the comments in the appendices.

How it was done The community development participation exercise was promoted through flyers inserted in the local Konect magazine which is delivered to all householders in Kirknewton. Lots of posters were also put up on lamp posts, at local businesses and left at public access places. It was also promoted through email, facebook and twitter. It was also promoted through West Lothian Council facebook which had 15,306 members and though Love West Lothian twitter which has 1363 followers. In addition there was an article in a local newspaper promoting the work. The work was carried out collaboratively by Vikki Hilton who specialises in community development approaches and methods and KCDT, particularly working with Tony Foster, the Development Officer. The Development Officer was new to the project and keen to make links into the community so led on the promotional working contacting organisational 3

3 Priory Grove, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland. EH30 9LZ.

vikki@hiltonassociates.com

representatives and leading a social networking campaign to alert people to the work. This was the local nursery, high school, primary school, Kaspers (after school club), Community Association, Community Council, Development Trust, Gala Committee, Kosy Kafe, Parents Council, Parent Staff Association, Scottish Rural Women’s Institute and the West Lothian Clarion, Church, Pensioners. After the initial link the facilitator followed up by telephone, email and or meetings.

Who participated? The team spent several days working in the community encouraging local people to share their ideas and opinions about the area. This started with the drop-in event on Sunday 6th February 2011. At this event over a 100 people dropped by to share their ideas. This was a fantastic level of interest The team spent several days including mornings, afternoons, and evenings during the week as well as at weekends walking around the village knocking on doors to ensure a wide range of people had a chance to share their ideas. People also participated by email, facebook and telephone if they were unable to meet face-toface. The team tracked the age range and numbers of people who were talking to them, to make sure that that all age groups were involved. They also checked that they were meeting a range of people that were close to the population spread of the area.

Everyone who participated put a dot on a map to show where they lived and a tick to show what age they were. This was to make sure that a wide range of people, young to older, women and men from all over the area were reached. The charts above show the range of ages who participated. They do not include the 198 primary and nursery children from Kirknewton Primary School who also participated. The map shows the wide spread of people who took part in different parts of the village. Each dot represents a household. By the end over 560 people had participated with a good range of ages and a fair geographical distribution. This shows enormous interest within the community and is evidence of the increased awareness of KCDT and interest in what is happening in the community. It also shows people have a real interest in being involved in improving Kirknewton as a place to live and work in. In the work carried out in 2007 there was far less awareness of the Trust and then 167 people participated in the community engagement work.

Gathering the information This work was carried out from the beginning of February 2011. The kick-off event was a well-advertised drop-in event at the Community Hall in the High Street on Saturday 6th February. As part of this the Development Officer and Facilitator went to the local church service to promote the drop-in and also join the coffee morning where people were able to share their views. Overall 120 people participated on the 6th which is a fantastic level of interest for the community. The work continued with the team out and about in the area on several weekend and week days knocking on doors to ensure a wide range of people participated. This was a way of making sure people who had not heard about the work or couldn’t get to meetings also participated. They also worked with groups including: Kosy Kafe – Parent and Toddler Group – Play group – Kirknewton Primary School – Balerno High School – Community Hall Committee Everyone’s participation was recorded by age and gender and where they lived to ensure we reached people living in all parts of the village. In total just under 500 people participated with a further 74 people coming to 2 feedback events in March. The team used a visual diagram to ensure openness and no pre-determined closed questions. These are open methods that enable people to share the ideas and solutions they have to what it’s like in the community.

What people where asked: People were asked:

What’s it like living / working in the Kirknewton area? They were asked to rank how they felt from 1-10 with 10 being great and then to think about and record: 1. What’s great about living in the area? Makes it a good place to live? 2. What gaps/ barriers are there currently for you in the community? What’s not so good about living in the area? 3. What would make Kirknewton a better place to live in? & why?

This approach and method is different to surveys and questionnaires with predefined questions. It encourages people to focus and reflect on the issues that are important to them.

What people think about the area

Not everyone wanted to record how they felt about the area. However 184 people were happy to record how they felt and the diagram above shows that the large majority of them were positive about the area. We didn’t ask the primary school children or high school young people this question because of the way their meetings were done.

Organising the information All the ideas people shared meant that a vast amount of information was amassed and it had to be managed in some way. There were over 2200 comments as well as drawings from some of the primary school children. Every comment was recorded and some strong themes emerged from them. The team had also gained some initial impressions of what ideas were emerging and these helped to confirm the main themes in discussion with the development officer. Whichever way the information was looked at there might have been different ways of categorising it. You may see different themes but what has emerged, in the end, we are confident give a good impression of what the people of Kirknewton think are important issues. All the recorded comments are in the appendices. The young people at Kirknewton Primary School and Balerno High School shared their ideas and these are summarised on pages 16 to 17 with details in appendix 4 and 5.

Feeding back the information to the community One of the features of Participatory Appraisal is to give prompt feedback to the community; this was done in several ways during March and April. • At a KCDT evening event on March 10th where the Development Officer led a short presentation and discussion, 30 people took part.

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At a drop-in event on Sunday 13th March from 10 am to 5pm, 44 people took part.

Feedback was also given at the Meals and Wheels event at Kirknewton on March 26th; over 300 people turned up and all the material was displayed. Electronic feedback: In addition the Development Officer added details to the Kirknewton Facebook and ran a blog on twitter to feedback information. In April 2011 there were 206 facebook group members and 28 followers on twitter at twitter.com/kirknewtonEH27. Feedback information has also been put on http://kirknewton.wordpress.com/ and 656 people were recorded opening it. On average 50 people open development trust emails and people also get the latest information at www.kirknewton.org/latest/newsThe results were also promoted via the West Lothian Council Facebook page with 15,306 members There is also this report and a brief summary report will be will be distributed throughout the community in KONNECT. In addition copies will be available electronically, on CD-ROM and on the KCDT website.

Cost and time Direct costs to KCDT were around £900.00 which covered the cost of promotion for 2 campaigns. This included commercially produced posters and flyers, adverts in local publications, sundry items, flyers through the school and hall costs with catering

for 2 events. This did not include the time cost of the development officer or the facilitator. The process has taken from the initial meeting at the beginning of January to the end of April; further work bringing the community development plan together using this report as a basis will be completed by the end of May. What now This information will be used to develop the community plan and assist with funding applications as well as providing a good basis for understanding the community needs and aspirations. 12

What the community said about the area This section is a summary of what people most liked about the area, things they didn’t like so much and things they think will improve life in the area. What people said is summarised in diagrams and discussed on the following pages. All the comments people made are in the appendix which people are encouraged to read. The appendix includes maps where site specific comments are noted; these are in addition to the comments and relate to specific areas in the village. They all make a fascinating read. The diagrams below help show the main themes and the proportion of comments overall. The summary highlights the top 6 categories and the diagrams show the proportion of other comments.

What’s great about the area?

1. Location People clearly liked living in the area, valuing the position close to Edinburgh with good links to the airport, main roads and major towns but not in the city. They liked the feel of being in a rural area, the quietness and senses of safety. They commented on the friendliness and good neighbours with a good community spirit. 2. Facilities and activities People appreciated the shop and post office and the things that went on like the playgroup, toddler group, the Gala. However it is noticeable that there were almost the same number of negative comments as positive and twice as many comments in this category about changes and improvements. This is a topic people talked about in 2007 and clearly has not improved radically over the last 4 years. 13

3. School People liked the schools in the area and it was noted as a reason people come to the area. Someone did say there were “Too many houses and new developments for the school and therefore uncertainty of getting a place”. 4. Public Transport This again was an interesting area of discussion. Many people commented on the good public transport service, both bus and train and noted the “improvements over the last 20 years”. Someone also recorded that “the “Train station makes for a good place to be”. 5. Walking and cycling It’s a good place for walking with easy access to outdoor activities such as hillwalking according to some people. 6. Park People commented on the park with most knowing that it was in the process of being upgraded which people felt was good. It was also noted as safe These highlight the 6 most recorded things; there are lots of other comments which are in the appendix. What should be noted is that people also recorded that they were “very impressed with the Trust” and the “potential of and uniting contribution of the development trust”.

What’s not so good about the area?

1. Facilities and activities

The main theme here was the lack of facilities and activities for people of all ages. There was particular concern over lack of things for teenagers and young people but also as someone said “There doesn’t appear to be much to do for all ages in the village. A community centre would be useful for activities and as a meeting place – no café nearby and the pub is not attractive to many people.” 2. Public transport There were a lot of comments about the “poor bus service” and “unreliable” bus service with bad links. Someone else said “bus service appalling, can’t live here without a car. There were fewer comments about the train service but people still felt there was a need for more evening and weekend services. Comment was made about the poor links with Balerno. This was also highlighted by the high school students who called for a weekend service to maintain their links to friends as the catchment high school is Balerno. People living in the Burnwynd and Linburn areas had real concerns about the poor bus service because of issues over where the bus would stop. This made relying on the bus for getting to work was impossible and had an economic impact. During the winter it was particularly bad and dangerous because of having to walk along an unlit road with no path. Someone said it was impossible to rely on the bus service for work due to the hours it ran i.e. not early or late enough. 3. Traffic management There were a lot of concerns over the congestion on Main Street and issues over parking and lack of speed controls. People were concerned about the speed of traffic through the village. 4. Appearance People talked about areas looking scruffy and run down, particularly in the Kaimes area where issues over road and pavement maintenance are causing problems. People commented on the amount of litter and would like to see more effort made to keep the village clean and a smarter appearance. 5. Park People commented on the park needing to be improved but also acknowledged that there were changes about to take place. Some people thought that there should be a park in the Kaimes area as it’s a long way to go to the park. Also not enough in the park for older children. 6. Dog issues There were the usual concerns about dog mess and the need for more dog bins. In the primary school some of the children highlighted that the pavement from Hillhouse Wynd was particularly bad.

What people would like to be changed or improved

1. Facilities/activities This was clearly the area most people wanted to see changes in and there were lots of suggestions. These included suggestions for • More facilities for teenagers, skate park and some sort of lighted area near the football goals, clubs, drop-in café with internet • An ATM in the village • A social space to meet (there was also a specific category for a café which links to this issue) • More services in the village i.e. doctors surgery • Village pub doing food/coffee There are lots more ideas in the full list in appendix 3. 2. Traffic management There were lots of suggestions for managing the traffic in the area to deal with the particular concerns of speeding traffic and traffic congestion on the Main Street. People also mapped their ideas which can be seen at the end of the report. Some were complex one-way system others included: • Speed bumps – with some specific suggestions recorded and some mapped • Disabled parking on Main Street for the Post Office and shop • Limit speed on winding roads near Kirknewton • Electronic speed signs • Limit speed to 20mph in some areas • Yellow lines to restrict parking Many of the suggestions will be controversial and it will obviously be useful for more community engagement work to be done before any changes are made. 3. Public transport People wanted a better, reliable bus service someone said “First Bus tries your patience and your purse”. There were also suggestions for an improved service to Balerno and also weekends. People had ideas about a local “sprinter” bus between local communities. As the library and health services are not based in Kirknewton people without cars rely on the buses to access these services. People in Burnwynd and Linburn wanted the bus stops sorted out so the buses stopped locally not a mile up the road. Particularly with aging communities the buses may end up being their only way to access shops and services. The impression is that if you are not in a hurry the bus service is good but if you rely on the service for work it’s not so good. 4. Park People were looking for park improvements so it will be interesting to see how people evaluate the changes taking place in April / May 2011. However some of the things suggested are not within the current improvements such as a skate park, improving the goals, having lights for evening access in the winter 5. Walking and cycling Improving access for walkers and cyclists with signposts as well as routes linking local communities was called for. People also suggested measured walks for 17

walking groups which could be used by everyone. People in Linburn and Burnwynd also wanted the roadside pavements improved or created for safe walking. 6. Community Centre People were asking for a new community hall, because the present on is not big enough and not always available. They also suggested it could be used for a variety of social activities, even having the café – social space – people thought the village really needed. Someone said “good to have a centre all ages can use” and “new community centre open for the young and elderly alike, available for private functions to make it more viable”.

Youth views Below is a summary of what the high school students and the primary school students think about the area. Further details are in Appendix 4 and 5. Balerno High School 26 pupils 12 – 17 & youths at the Kozi Kafe under 15 The facilitator met with 26 high school pupils in their lunch break. There was a great deal of discussion particularly around the lack of facilities for their age group. They recorded 67 points; there was a strong push for a skate park that they would like to be involved in designing as well as a better bus service that would enable them to maintain social relationships. This is a key as Balerno High School is the local High School and public transport links are poor. All the ideas were put on the wall – see the picture below. They discussed the importance of the ideas and decided that:

The Top Priorities were: • Improved bus service • Skate Park • More entertainment for children Older students at Balerno High School said they would be interested in “helping in the community”; “being involved in change” and “interested in helping other people”. Some of them are already on facebook and were following what was going on. It was clear that they were keen to be involved in changes and opportunities should be encouraged for community volunteering. 18

Kirknewton Primary School At the beginning of February Tony Foster, Development Officer and Vikki Hilton, Facilitator were invited to talk to the whole school at Friday morning Assembly. Tony told the young people what was going on with the “I love Kirknewton” big idea. Vikki then asked the young people to think about the things they really like, don’t like so much and changes they would like to see happening. They were asked to talk about, and write or draw their ideas in class then the pupil council meeting the following week and worked with the facilitator to share all the ideas. This picture shows the ideas the representatives bought to the meeting. Below are the top priorities after all class representatives had shared their classes ideas bought to the Pupil Council. After listening to everybody they decided as a group that the following were the top priorities – see picture . All the ideas they bought to the council meeting are in appendix 5 pages 58 - 66 to show that the ideas came from all the pupils. Number of votes of School Council in brackets 1. Cafe (with burgers), ice cream cones, or ice cream van in summer (4) 2. Bus timetables so don't cross & make traffic jam (3) 3. Dog bins all over i.e. especially Main Street, Kaimes, Park (2) 4. Trees (1) 5. More activities i.e. Football Team, BMX Trax, Skate Park (1) 6. Youth Group (meeting place) Further Information We would strongly recommend that you read all the comments. You will find them in full in the appendix. There will also be copies of the reports available through Tony Foster, in the library and on the KCDT web site.

Conclusion The KCDT group now has the opportunity to use your ideas to take forward opportunities and projects locally. It was clear from the comments people made and working in the area again after 3 years that the village had more of a “buzz”. There are more events and the Village Gala Day has restarted.

People talked about improving walking and cycling routes and KCDT has already started working with various organisations and carrying out a paths audit, with community help, to improve paths. In addition things that do not fit within the trusts role will be passed onto the relevant parts of council and other organisations. Look out for updates on how this work is being used and for more meetings and/or information events. We have uncovered an astonishing amount of information which makes for interesting and useful reading. It is an excellent starting point for developing the community development [plan and can be used by other community organisations as well as the trust to target funds and apply for additional funds to support local initiatives. We are confident and pleased that, as a result of this exercise, even more people know about KCDT and have a chance to share their issues, ideas and opinions about life in the village it is part of a long term process of involving the whole community in “Growing Community Assets” and helping promote and ensure long term benefits. This will also help inform the direction of the community development plan and provide support for taking community ideas forward. Several things emerged that will need to be revisited to continue this process: 1. People talked a lot about the park which is in the process of being revamped. As part of the revamping the local community was asked for their opinions in autumn of 2010. Given the amount of interest in the park and park improvements and further suggestions arising from this work it would be useful to carry out an evaluation of park changes in about 6 months’ time. 2. There were lots about lack of facilities and activities to do locally. This can have an effect on health and well-being and sometimes lead to isolation socially and mentally. It would be useful to have an audit of exactly what is available and when. Consideration needs to be taken of the needs of different age groups to ensure different needs are met. 3. Young people in the village want to get involved and targeting working with them to develop some of their ideas and community ideas would be a very positive move. 4. Creating a social space; people were concerned that there was nowhere for people to meet. Whether it be parents of young children wanting to meet up whilst children attended groups, young people wanting a space to meet, new people in the village wanting to meet other people. It is an important part of a community to have spaces for social interaction. A café was called for, the pub to create space for coffee, a community centre that was also a social hub. A dedicated community space is a long-term solution but there may be short term solutions building on suggestions made by the community.

Appendices Appendix 1: All comments: What people like Appendix 2: All comments: What people don’t like Appendix 3: All comments: Changes/Improvements Appendix 4: All comments: Balerno High School 26 pupils 12 – 17 plus Youths at Kozi Café under 15 Appendix 5: All comments: Kirknewton Nursery & Primary School Appendix 6: Maps with recorded site specific comments and ideas

Appendix 1: All comments: What people like LOCAT IO N - 390 • A real community • A village not in a town • Access good to Livingston & Edinburgh • Access to Edinburgh & Livingston although bus

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service timings & availability could be improved Access to Edinburgh & M8 corridor but still relatively unspoiled Access to Kirknewton House grounds Accessible to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Livingston road & rail Accessible to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Livingston road & rail all right all right An increasingly mixed & balanced population with growing sense of community Away from hustle & bustle Away from hustle & bustle Beautiful village Beautiful walks

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Being out in the country

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Born & bred here it's all I know like it Burial grounds Can get involved in the community Central Scotland location, close to all major road networks, linking to Edinburgh, Glasgow, → M74, lake district, M9 → Aviemore etc Chance to see the agricultural seasons in action sheep, cattle etc outside the window. Good & fertile soil. Cheaper housing than central Edinburgh Children can play outside safely. It's a good place for families Close community, safe environment for young children. Close enough to Edinburgh Close enough to Edinburgh Close knit community Close to big cities Close to countryside nice places to walk our dog Close to countryside/walks amenity close to Edinburgh Close to family Close to hills but handy for Edinburgh Close to nature Close to the City Close vicinity to Pentland Hills & Edinburgh Closeness to countryside Community & friendly.

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(647 comments recorded)

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Community Development Trust has worked hard to raise profile & noticed a difference in last year with more things happening. Occasionally call into its office & would volunteer but have limited time. Community environment Community feel about it Community is good a lot of nice people Community spirit Community spirit Community spirit Community spirit & it's getting better over last 2-3 years with more community events like the Gala (really good). Community spirit, especially around involving the school Community spirit, people look out for & help each other Community vibe Commuting to work in Livingston/Edinburgh easy with proximity (unless using public transport) Convenient location for work & access to all major roads north, south, east & west Core of a community Countrified see horses walking the streets Country walks Country-like Dalmahoy Hill Dog walking opportunities Easily commute to work in Edinburgh Easy access to Edinburgh & Livingston easy commute for anywhere but still enough away not to be burdened with city noise and hassle Easy commuting for jobs Easy to get to Edinburgh on public transport, close enough to Edinburgh to cycle to work, so it's got more affordable housing. Easy to get to other areas e.g. Edinburgh & by-pass

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Easy to get to other areas e.g. Edinburgh & by-pass

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Easy to get to Pentlands, canal & Ratho Climbing (airport & motorway handy too). Enjoy countryside, air is cleaner Environment, fields/rural areas Even though it is close to Edinburgh & Livingston, it feels remote from the cities and a safer place Everyone knows each other Everyone knows everyone Everyone's friendly Fairly quiet area Family Family (lived all my life 45 years)

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Family has lived in the village for over 100 years bit of history Family ties Fantastic being so close to countryside; great walks & to get out with kids & dogs Feel safe walking home at night Feeling of being rural, but close enough to Edinburgh & Livingston to get to work Feeling people want to help each other Feels relatively safe Feels rural but access to urban areas good mixture of everything Feels safe for kids Feels very safe For kids going for walks For kids in general Friendly Friendly Friendly Friendly friendly Friendly friendly Friendly Friendly community Friendly neighbours Friendly neighbours Friendly people friendly people Friendly place generally. Get to know people and can rely on them. Friendly place to live, definitely a community spirit Friendly/have made very good friends here Friends Friends, very helpful people Generally pleasant area Good access Good area for walking Good community Good community Good community feel, friendly village good community feeling Good community spirit Good community spirit Good community spirit Good community spirit Good community spirit Good community spirit Good community spirit good country walks Good facilities: shop & Chippy Good for kids growing up Good links to city & airport Good mix of population

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Good neighbours Good neighbours Good neighbours Good neighbours Good neighbours Good neighbours Good neighbours Good neighbours Good network of people Good place for commuting & transport Good place to have children Good public transport at the moment Good road access Good sense of community Good sense of community Good sense of community Good sense of community Good situation between Edinburgh & Livingston, good transport connections Good travelling distance between Edinburgh & Livingston Great area Great area Great area Great view Green belt around Green like being in country but near town Green space/country living Handy for Airport Handy for Edinburgh House prices are lower than Edinburgh House prices, young people can actually afford houses in West Lothian & village; therefore we have made friends with many other young couples. however village is in a peaceful rural location, open countryside, close to Pentland Hills park and West Lothian Almondale country park etc I am quite happy as I am I like the fact that it is in the countryside I like the strong friendly community feel. I like the fact it feels a safe place to bring up children & they can play outside freely. I moved here from Edinburgh but love living here, more freedom for kids, wouldn't have that in the city. I think it is a very good place because it is small and very safe. In the country In the country & not too far from Edinburgh & Livingston In the country but accessible to town & facilities In the country more freedom for kids Isolation Isolation

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It is safe environment for kids to live in, there are plenty of opportunities to get close to nature It isn't a big city, it is just a small village because I know everyone and it isn't busy that is what I like Its central with easy access (road and train) to E,W,N and S It's good that a lot of new housing/people have expanded the community It's quiet so our kids can play on our street. It's quiet, peaceful, there's no real worries and it's a close community. It's small enough to walk to anywhere else in it! its small, surrounded by accessible countryside walks, woodlands, rivers etc, including farms Kids can run about in relative safety Kirknewton is a very nice village Knowing our neighbours Like being out of town Like being out of town like it as it is like it as it is Like living here Like living here Like living in the country Like living in the country but easy to commute to Edinburgh Like the area – except for traffic from A71 am/pm Like the community Like the environment, reasonably rural Like the size of the village & fact it hasn't merged into others Like walking out of front door to fields

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Lived away from Scotland for a number of years & chose to live here because it’s cheaper & good for kids. Lived here all my life Lived here all my life, don't know anything different lived here all my live lived here all my live Lived here for years & brought kids up Living in country away from city life Location Location Location - commuting to Edinburgh Location for working Location useful for working/commuting to Riccarton lots of green areas Lots of green space

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Lots of likeminded people

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Lots of walks in area Selmuir Forest & around Leyden Road Lots of young families

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Love it here Love Kirknewton lived here all my life (70 years) nice quiet place with no vandalism to talk about Lovely feeling of community Lovely in Braekirk area Lovely open countryside Lovely views, peaceful countryside. Low crime rate Lower crime area many people don't know where the village is, this means not many people drive through our village centre More neighbourly in recent years lots of changes, partly because of kids & meeting each other through them. Neighbours really nice Never thought of moving away Nice & quiet Nice & quiet, no trouble nice and easy access to countryside Nice community Nice community feel about it: meet lots of people friendly - PO, shop, toddler group Nice community feeling about the place Nice neighbour Nice old buildings too Nice place to bring up children Nice place to live & everyone friendly Nice quiet village why we chose to move here 30 years ago Nice size of village Nice to be out in the country, the views of the Forth Estuary are excellent Nice village Nice wee village No problems as live here & work in Edinburgh don't use village not a lot of noise or trouble Not a lot of trouble Not bothered by neighbours Not crowded with people Not far from Edinburgh/Livingston/Airport Not in built-up area not much trouble not much trouble Not much trouble Not too far from town & shops OK area, but I'm just about to move out of area, so don't want to comment. OK area, but I'm just about to move out of area, so don't want to comment. Old Quarry Open fields Open space

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Open space Open space for children & lots of places to go walks or cycling Out in the country Out of city so good for raising young kids Out of city so good for raising young kids Out of town Out of town Out of town Overall it's a good community to live in! Overall, there have been so many changes for the better over the 36 years we have lived here Part of small community Peace & quiet Peace & quiet Peaceful peaceful peaceful Peaceful Peaceful & quiet Peacefulness People People acknowledge each other & stick together as a community People are friendly, the community is a nice size, not too big, not too small People are good speak to each other, look after each other People are nice People friendly People friendly & helpful Proximity to Edinburgh Proximity to facilities in Livingston, especially the hospital, and also to a city of Edinburgh's calibre. Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet

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Quiet Quiet Quiet Quiet & no problems. Like it the way it is Quiet area in country but good access to work Quiet but getting busier (20 years been here) Quiet countryside around & great views northwards Quiet cul-de-sac Quiet enough Quiet location Semi-rural position with some open countryside nearby (at the moment!). Quiet not much trouble Quiet not much vandalism Quiet place to live plus safer for the residents especially children Quiet small community, quite active community groups Quietly Quietness Quietness Quite a good community feel not like a big town. Knowing neighbours & having a good circle of friends. Quite a nice community Really small nice creative community Relatively peaceful Relatively quiet & peaceful walking straight from the house good Rural Rural Rural Rural Rural Rural Rural area which we enjoy yet still close to Edinburgh/Livingston for amenities & job opportunities. Rural location Rural location Rural outdoor network/horses Rural site with good transport links Safe safe safe Safe area for children plenty of safe areas to play (Although, other than Park which is far away & over a road no areas specifically designed for child's play area) Safe place to bring kids up Safe village Safe village to live in Safer for kids as not in a city environment Semi-rural situation (at the moment!) Sense of community

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Sense of community - & it is getting better Sense of community a lot of friends & colleagues working together Sheep & cows & farmland Sheep & cows & farmland So much on the doorstep Sociable community with lots of informal groups for fun/childcare Some really good people in the village Still a village Still a village Superb views from Kaimes Superb views from Kaimes takes getting used to – lived in Edinburgh takes getting used to – lived in Edinburgh Teenagers running around but not being horrible just being kids The community spirit The countryside, the views, the walks The fact that it's out of the City The fact that it's out of the City The history i.e. Roman remains The people in the village are nice The school is a close distance walk! The street we live in has lots of children which is good. The village is quiet The woodlands & fields surrounding the Policies there appears to be no crime or drugs problem and people in the main are friendly

WALKI NG & CYCL I NG - 22 • Access to Wellwood Estate - delusions of grandeur • • • • • • • • • •

to have access Beautiful walks Can walk everywhere Children riding bikes on pavements is very dangerous for walkers Easy access to outdoor activities hillwalking etc Easy to cycle commute into Edinburgh for me Enjoy walking & would be interested in a group For kids going for walks Fresh air & walks Good local walks from door Good place to walk dog

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there are no shops or traffic jams Towns not too far away Very accessible, Livingston & Edinburgh good location Very friendly Very friendly Very good community particularly in Braekirk Very good size excellent feeling of security Very little traffic noise Very little vandalism Very safe Village a nice size Village atmosphere Village community good to see drive to making this a better place to live Village events e.g. Gala, Torchlight procession etc Village feel Village feel, everyone's very friendly but also can work in Edinburgh Village is a quiet place to live, little crime & trouble Village life We have the best of every world We like living in Kirknewton because it is a village and has a rural feel although it is equally near Edinburgh & Livingston. Wee village Within close distance to activities of all types Wonderful place to grow up Woods @ back, field @ front (B/L Wouldn't move anywhere else

Good place to walk dog Good walking with small child Important to have somewhere for teenagers & high school pupils, though they are not a problem. Lots of nice walks Lots of places to walk/play Lots of walks Surrounding very walkable countryside including Kirknewton House Policies Walk the dog fields & woods Walks Walks We love being able to access local woods & fields & enjoy walking & cycling in the area too

PUBL IC TRANSPORT - 39 • Better bus service sometimes not on time • Better now because of buses • Bus good service half hourly • Bus good service hope it carries on • Bus links to Edinburgh & Livingston are now better than when we first arrived

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Bus service fine when it turns up Bus service often have to wait 30minutes 1 hour. Sometimes it misses Kirknewton if weather bad Bus service OK Bus service OK Bus stops on Main Street

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Bus/train service to Edinburgh & beyond Buses & trains improved over last 20 years Buses 2 an hour is good Easy commuting Bus & Train Excellent public transport Good bus service Good bus service suits me if I need it Good public transport Good public transport links served by bus & rail Good train station Good transport bus & train Good transport infrastructure Good transport link Good transport links (buses & trains) to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Livingston & Balerno Good transport links to Edinburgh & Livingston (rail & bus)

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Good transport links, rail & bus Got bus & train links, so good Handy having a railway station nearby (although the service can be erratic) Public transport public transport vastly improved railway station and bus routes good Train access to town (although limited timetable) Train link is very valuable & buses too Train link to Edinburgh good (husband cycles from East Calder to station) Train service is OK Train station Train station make for a good place to be too Trains & buses: easy to get to Edinburgh & Livingston Useful having access to railway station

RECYCL I NG - 2 Think food waste recycling is a good idea

Think food waste recycling is a good idea

LOCAL FOOD - 1 Pending allotment space

VEGETAT IO N - 2 Community wood planted by families

Good public open space

COMM U N I TY CENTRE - 4 Village hall is great facility for the community Community hall Village Hall done up & used more profitably i.e. things

FACIL I T I ES/ACT IV I T I ES - 89 • Access to amenities & shops in Livingston • All amenities shop excellent • Area in Kaimes (see map) improve & tidy up & • • • • • •

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make it an area safe for kids to play. Children's Cosy Cafe on Friday good thing Chip Shop Chip Shop Close to East Calder for Rhyme Time at Library Close to good shopping Coffee shop or somewhere for lunches able to socialise in village without having to go to say Livingston. Suggest somewhere in corner of park as lots of land, or building near school. (see map) Convenience of an (excellent) village shop, PO, pub Dalmahoy Leisure Centre is nearby Dancing classes Easy proximity to amenities (Livingston, Edinburgh, Library & Dr. @ East Calder etc) Everything on doorstep Excellent shop, PO & pub Festival shop good for essentials & was great when village snowed in owner very helpful.

for wee boys Improve the Village Hall or get a new one

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Fish & Chip shop fish supper quite nice Fish & Chips is good Gala Day Garden Glad we've got a shop Good Chippy like to support local business Good clubs in village hall Good event in the Park sustainable transport Good local shop & PO Good local Shop & Post Office Got a PO and village shop Groups & societies Groups e.g. toddler group for new mums Groups i.e.: Playgroup, Rainbows & Brownies, Dancing, Caspas etc. Important to have somewhere for teenagers & high school pupils, though they are not a problem. Improve the Village Hall or get a new one It's good that we have the Post Office lot of villages have lost there's Kids’ activities/playgroup/toddler group Library Bus comes to Kaimes Place every 2 weeks

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(good for children's books) Like the pub Little things like parcels can be left @ PO to pick up if not at home Local & nearby churches Local school, PO etc. Lots of groups for young children Maintaining & building on village e.g. good the Gala has come back. Mobile library Nearby medical practice and district hospital both good (+ delivery of prescriptions) Nice community, lots of space, shops are good, Cafe No dental surgery so have to go to East Calder Medical Centre OK if have car bus times have improved. Play Group at Village Hall good Play Group at Village Hall good Playgroup Playgroup & mother & toddler group PO PO PO 'Potter Around' 'Potter Around' 'Potter Around' have open night Pub Shop Shop Shop Shop Shop Shop & PO Shop & PO

PARK - 21 • Better Park to keep us content • Big play park • Fab to have a park (& will be even better once • • • • • •

upgraded) Good doing the Park up Good doing the Park up I know the park will be done up & will then use. Improve park new football goals Other small parks as now have bigger population possibly in field & waste ground between Kaimes & railway. Park area could be more of a hub & build on what is in village.

SCHOOL - 39 • Balerno has good High School • Buddy system in school so when around in village less likely to have bullying - can walk up the road & everyone looks out for each other.

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Shop & PO good Shop & PO very good Shop & Post Office Shop & Post Office are a bonus Shop & Post Office are really close Shop is excellent: clean & well ordered Shop pretty well stocked Shop, PO wouldn't like to see them close Shop's clean, variety of stuff, & staff friendly Size of a village: close to shop & PO Some activities to do with: they are for younger children(e.g. 'Potter Around', Saturday dance class) Sort the water supply at the cemetery so it can be used Still has PO and local shop Summer Gala The semi-rural nature of the village The shop is handy! The shop! The village Park, School & village Hall are all assets used by us all. Use some of empty spaces in Kaimes for play park e.g. behind houses

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Village Hall done up & used more profitably i.e. things for wee boys Village just up the road Village shop good Village shop will get things in & does things for the community Wednesday evening daughter goes to Taekwondo in Kirknewton - good Wee shop is great Well stocked local village store & post office

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Park being done up will make it better Park getting done up great Park good Park is a safe park Park is being revamped (good to look forward to) Park is going to be better Park, though I think it's going to be done up Parks good & woods nice for walks Play park Play park Play park aware it's to be improved Play park is being upgraded

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Excellent school Extend or build new school as oversubscribed priority for those living in village

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Good friendly school Good nursery/primary school and in Balerno High School catchment area Good Primary & Secondary Schools (Kirknewton & Balerno HS) Good primary school Good school Good school Good school Good School/Nursery Good schools like the school Local School is very good Lovely Nursery & Primary School Mums& Toddlers, school great for kids Primary school Primary School has a good reputation & feeds into Balerno Primary school has good reputation Primary School is excellent Primary school within walking distance

APPEARANCE - 13 • Pub hanging baskets • West Lothian Council is good at picking up litter. • It's pretty & lots of open space • Face lift with tidy fencing who has responsibility?

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(Kaimes) Landscape area behind Kaimes also other grass areas as Council won't adopt & householders don't do their bit to look after. Looking a bit run down (overall general comment)

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& contractor to manage, (originally? 15 then? 30)

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Priority for school places should be for those already living here. School School School School School School & catchment for Balerno High School School a lot of life in the village centres around it School is fantastic School not capable of expanding with the community Schools Size of school not adequate for all new housing The local school The school is excellent Toddler group Too many houses & new developments for school therefore uncertainty of getting a place. Within the catchment of a highly rated school (Balerno)

but not everyone paid up & now neglected. Ground behind Kaimes not cared for as don't know who owns it. Grass areas behind Kaimes & other areas in scheme are left as wilderness. Tenants used to pay factor Grit needs to be cleaned up Public areas & roads, car parks not maintained broken bits of cement. Street cleaning not as good as could be Wheelie bins there can be 30 left in car park

LOCAL ECONOMY - 2 Can work from home

Konnect

DEVELOPME N T & PLAN N I NG - 1 West Lothian Council do quite a good job

KCDT - 10 • Establishment of Community Development Trust • • • •

keen to find out more about what they are doing. Fantastic Trust initiatives like the A. D. Plan (Anaerobic Digester) & the Powerdown Good that we have a Development Trust I like and appreciate that there seems to be a strong initiative towards supporting the Community Development Trust. Like the opportunities being given to us to improve

M ISCELLANEOUS - 12 • Animals & sheep • community council, KCDT, allotments committee, parents group etc getting people together and

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our village & become greener through the Community Development Trust Potential of and uniting contribution of Development Trust Promoting sustainable development The Community Group is looking at green energy, something we are passionate about The Trust Very impressed with the Development Trust

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putting thoughts into action Good C of S church will excellent current Minister I have a car so OK

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Kirknewton Facebook good way to find out about things on-line Level crossing & accidents don't know what's happening & how it will affect the village Not sure Nothing particularly

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Tap at Cemetery is locked so can't get water need to get water from the river which is very dangerous. Useful to follow on Facebook & Twitter Wildlife Wildlife

Appendix 2: All comments: What people don’t like

(381 comments

recorded) LOCATION - 12

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Get the feeling that 'beyond the railway line' is not automatically included in Kirknewton I think the main divide in this community is between the 'locals' and the new residents. I also think this centres round the public house where the locals use and I think having spoken to a friend who moved out that there's a culture up the pub that many newcomers don't know about or are willing to explore. The opposite is also true for the locals, not partaking in many new things which the newcomers bring into the community In days of old, everyone used to celebrate Gala Day with communal BBQ'setc. Not enough incentive for adults in the community to know their neighbours

WALKING & CYCLING - 12 • Children riding bikes on pavements is very • • • • •

dangerous for walkers Cycle route 75 as exists is highly dangerous from East Calder junction through the village & along Dalmahoy Road Difficulty to get anywhere on bike ride without negotiating very busy road Improve signing for public walks/paths Lack of maintenance of footpath Haggs Road – too dangerous No obvious walking paths

PUBLIC TRANSPORT - 65 • Although bus has improved, still limited bus passes

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villages e.g. can't get to Balerno & Broxburn nor Royal Infirmary have to go via East Calder. LRT used to go through & was better than First Bus. Appallingly bad public transport links Bus links only 1 bus that serves the village Bus service not reliable Bus service unreliable in evenings & doesn't link to health centre/library Busesonly accept exact change plus no bus tracker unlike Lothian Buses Expenseof train & bus No bus service i.e. 5 mile to nearest bus stop Poor public transport Poor public transport available especially later at night with no busesavailable after midnight. Public transport, it's expensive - cheaper to drive. Poor public transport to areas such as Balerno/Ratho (which are in school catchment area)

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Cliqueness 'Forgotten Village' on edge of West Lothian It's becomea commuter town Lack of integration between village people & new people Not as safe a close-knit community as it used to be worse at night. Youngsters hanging around. Not as safe a close-knit community as it used to be worse at night. Youngsters hanging around. Seen Kirknewton grow & develop but new people are not integrating use it as a commuter village, Those from new developments don't get involved in Church Village has lost its character

No pavement to Kirknewton from Linburn Road Not the most thought out walking routes Path up to airfield branches/trees years ago could walk up with pram. It was dug up for Cable TV & not been re-tarred. Cars go too fast here too. Paths inaccessible in & out of the village Paths/cycle tracks limited Pavement Dalmahoy to Wilkieston non-existent – safety, very dangerous

Public transport is available, both buses& trains although still not reliable enough. Busesare still late & cancelled. Wish more people could be persuaded to use it rather than drive. Public transport is unreliable & expensive (both bus & train) Public transport to Livingston/Edinburgh etc. is very expensive Public transport, busesterrible The bus service is not very good and there is no accessto other local communities (i.e. Balerno, Broxburn, West Calder etc.). Train service infrequent & expensive Train times could be improved upon particularly in the evening Transport more busesare needed to run through the village. At the moment the service is awful i.e. busesnot turning up or running late. Transport more reliable busesthe First Group not responding to the comments/complaints

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Unreliable bus service Very limited public transport to Balerno limitation for Balerno High School pupils doing out-ofschool/after-school activities & maintaining friendships can exacerbate a 'ghetto' & ' them & us' thinking Poor bus service Somerestricted travel train times Bus service poor Poor bus service Better bus service sometimes not on time Better bus service would be good Bus can be poor service Bus fares and times - £2-70 single Bus not very frequent & in bad weather nonexistent Bus service - better than past but occasionally don't turn up can wait 1 hour, even not just bad weather. Dependent on bus for large/heavy shopping & need to go to supermarket for most things as cheap - local is expensive. Bus service appalling can't live here without a car Bus service often have to wait 30minutes 1 hour. Sometimes it missesKirknewton if weather bad Bus service pathetic (one in family can't drive) stand for ages& can't rely on it Bus service poor Bus service rely on it for work. 28 to Livingston first bus is at 7.15am some mornings have to be in for 7am so bus no use don't have accessto a car to get to work (father has to drive) Bus service unreliable Buses- 28 - don't always come up to village, & when they do some of passengers already on bus complain they have to come via Kirknewton. Busesdon't always turn up, especially in winter, people missing doctor & hospital appointments, losing jobs. First Bus have a monopoly. 'The Forgotten Village'. A problem if don't drive, no car or elderly. Buses don't come on time and only 1 an hour on Sundays when comes Busesnot awfully reliable

RECYCLING - 2 • Glassrecycling

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Busesnot regular Sunday service Cost & frequency of busese.g. Lothian buses cheaper than First which serve Kirknewton Cost of bus service Cost of bus, can't even take kids to Livingston 80 pound for monthly bus pass to Edinburgh 2.70 single to Edinburgh Cost of train and bus Depend on lift for After School Club Needslinked up public transport No transport for After School @ Balerno need car to pick-up Not able to get to work in the morning with a bus as need to get to St Johns & busesnot early enough Nothing for teens & they have to rely on public transport to go anywhere Poor bus service Poor transport only one bus an hour at weekends Public transport not so good: irregular, sometimes don't turn up. Used to work in town & used buses but not reliable 2 years ago Public transport poor i.e. blind so rely on it to go weekly to hospital Snowed in for 5 days buses& trains not running B/L Busesstop @ Wilkieston & Dalmahoy but not @ Burnwynd B/L Don't want to leave the area but transport accessis an issue (20 houses& had petition 36 signatures) B/L Family – disrupts as can't get a bus in & out of town B/L Last 2 1 / 2 years Police made law that Bus does not stop. Used to stop at farm. First Bus, Horsburgh. It's a Police issue B/L Poor accessto public transport for Burnwynd residents (73 & 78) B/L Poor bus connection B/L Safety issue of no bus stop in Burnwynd – in winter in the dark had to walk 1mile + B/L Withdrawn bus service -economic impact. Daughter will no longer come home in holidays as can't get a job relying on bus

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Lack of recycling facilities

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lots of land, or building near school. (mapped) no cafe in village

VEGETATION -1 • Treescloseto the house afraid it will fall on house CAFÉ -2 • Coffeeshop or somewhere for lunches able to socialise in village without having to go to say Livingston. Suggest somewhere in corner of park as

COMMUN I TY CENTRE- 7

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Limited Community Centre facilities One small village hall limits what groups can be developed e.g. no real base for youth over weekend Small Village Hall only used by one user at a time needs Community Centre The current Village Hall is no longer adequate for

DOG ISSUES - 25 • Animals fouling on paths • Carelessdog owners who don't clear up on paths & • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Play park Cat & dog poo is health danger - toxic Cat poo - need to check for it before children can go in garden Dog dirt - pavements Dog fouling Dog fouling Dog fouling and graffiti/vandalism spoils some of the common areas unfortunately Dog fouling on pavements Dog fouling on pavements Dog mess Dog messin lots of places Dog messover back by railway Dog messover back by railway dog muck found in most streets

FACILI T I ES/ACTIV I T I ES - 84 • Although in WLDCboundary, local authority • • •

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support & action , spending etc. is to say the least, rather negative Community Centre/Cafe internal meeting place Could be more for older kids to do Despite the Pub, Post Office & Shop existing, there is no other gathering place such as a teashop/restaurant, which tends to isolate the community. Facilities limited Fear of using pub Few gathering places/spacesfor all ages Footpaths outwith village centre poorly marked/non-existent Health Service part-time clinic? I don't think that there is enough for teenagers & adults to do in the village Kids play facilities limited dated Lack of any restaurants Lack of community facilities (often promised never delivered!) Lack of facilities in Park. Lack of resourcesfor children & teenagers. Lack of use of Village Hall for classes/pastimes etc. e.g. Tai Chi/other classes Limited public services Little to interest teenagers or older children

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the villagers' needs Village Hall is great but a little small for community events Improve the Village Hall or get a new one Village Hall done up & used more profitably i.e. things for wee boys

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Dog muck is a real problem there is too much of it around the village and it reflects badly on the owners. Dog poo Dog poo Dog poo Dog poo Dog poo up the area from WhitemossRoad problem with leaves covering it & can't seethe dog poo; periodically cleared but soon gets covered up again Dog’s dirt on pavements could be anywhere. There are bins but is people's ignorance. A real problem for young children & getting it on pram wheels not sure how to resolve. Dog's dirt Inconsiderate dog owners not cleaning up more litter bins/dog bins needed

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Local amenities are too expensive e.g. Shop

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Local pub appearance of building & noise level at times encroacheson personal space feel this could be improved upon considerably! Local pub not particularly inviting scraped paintwork & no name Maybe a more active Youth Club, something for teenagers need to get in care & drive to East Calder or Balerno Mobile phone & broadband connections poor Most activities I take part in are outwith the village and I would not be able to attend without a car. No cubs/scouts No doctor No gym facilities in the village Not enough amenities e.g. no cash machine (free), no chemist etc. Not enough for older kids Not enough for teenagers, they need things to occupy them Not enough for the older children to do/keep occupied Not enough kids having fun any more Not much going on in the village for all ages Nothing for children aged 10-18 and as a consequencethere are groups of these children roaming Kirknewton annoying certain parts of the

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village Nothing in the village for the kids Nowhere for teenagers to hang out Poor facilities for all ages Poor facilities for teenagers & children Pub frontage Teenageactivity Teenagers tend to get bored & then vandalise equipment etc. The shop is expensive The village has grown & this has brought huge benefits to the community in terms of new people, families etc. But.......there doesseem to be a problem with young people, 10-16, being occupied/having somewhere to go in the evening. There doesn't appear to be much to do for all ages in the village. A community Centre would be useful for activities and as a meeting place (no Cafe's nearby and the Pub is not attractive to many people). There is a growing number of children in the area from ages10-15 and there's nothing in the village for them to do, hence they just wander the streets most evenings. Having a Community Development Programme in the village is this not something they can look at providing i.e. a youth club, flood lights at the Park for evening games? There used to be a visiting doctor's surgery East Calder Health Centre is increasingly busy a more village-based centre would be good Too much of a commuter village feel, needs more facilities Village lacks a pleasant facility for socialising with friend’s e.g. pleasant local pub Youth inclusion/activities 16yr olds not is school, nothing areas of unused land, many pockets in between Kaimes estate, residents have huge car parking problem so redevelopment of land for their use Chip Shop could be a lot more Facilities in Kirknewton diabolical I rely completely on my car for transport to work,

PARK - 26 • Better Park facilities but that's to come soon • Park area underused • Park but it is being improved • Park has been lacking in upgrades so this new Par

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improvements will be good. However other facilities are lacking for teens especially the School is also bursting at the seams. The community spirit has been very lacking but it is improving all the time with initiatives such as this. The Park is not as good as I'd like & doesn't have any objects for older kids/teenagers to go on! Would have said the Park, but very glad to seethat

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social activities, big shops and most hobbies, also health care, doctors in East Calder Important to have somewhere for teenagers & high school pupils, though they are not a problem. Improve facilities Lack of activities for teenagers i.e. no clubs, scouts etc. lack of amenities in village centre and 'village' feel and identity of street furniture Leisure facilities a joke Limited community facilities local pub is rubbish Need to be things for the teenagers Needsa good family pub with beer garden No dental surgery so have to go to East Calder Medical Centre OK if have car bus times have improved. Not a huge amount for the children out of school Not a lot for kids to do Not a lot of facilities Not a lot to do, can get bored easily Not much for older children & teenagers Not much for young ones Nothing for kids to do nothing for teenagers Nothing for young ones nothing for young people, no local jobs nothing happening, new houses built but no increased facilities Nothing really Pub too clique public transport to go into Edinburgh or Livingston for night time social activities Summer worse for young people when other gangs come Things for 11-16 year olds. We need a youth leader or a teen group to plan things for themselves there is money around as seen in the Funding Fair. To play football you have to go to Murieston Used to be a whirlie thing in the park which went Village getting by for services

community action has forced the Council to make a move on that. Improve Park (on-going) Long way to play park from Kaimes Park not so good I know the park will be done up & will then use. local park boring for 12 yr. old Long way to play park from Kaimes Orange gravel @ Park need to clean Park Other small parks as now have bigger population possibly in field & waste ground between Kaimes & railway. (map)

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Park area could be more of a hub & build on what is in village. Park grounds too wet Park lets the place down but they are doing it up Park not so good Park, though I think it's going to be done up Paths in park to be improved

SCHOOL - 13 • Decent surface in School playground • Local School at/beyond capacity • School is already too small for people who wish to • • • •

attend it. School/Nursery oversubscribed Extend or build new school as oversubscribed priority for those living in village Kids didn't get into the Primary School as it's full No wrap-around care @ School effect on those who

APPEARANCE - 39 • Area in Kaimes improve & tidy up & make it an • • • • •

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area safe for kids to play. Cleanliness: dog dirt/broken glass Council doesn't both to do much up here grit not cleared. Kaimes area there is query over ownership. Roadsfalling to bits & we pay our Council Tax. Council never do anything for here a forgotten corner nothing cleaned up for 2 years garage area never swept in 2 years (seemap) Eyesore outside pub & cigarettes left out Facelift with tidy fencing who has responsibility? (Kaimes) Grassareas behind Kaimes & other areas in scheme are left as wilderness. Tenants used to pay factor & contractor to manage, (originally 15 then 30) but not everyone paid up & now neglected. Grit comesafter the snow has come Grit not cleared up from snow gets in house Ground behind Kaimes not cared for as don't know who owns it. I feel some parts of the community look neglected & people/residents/home owners obviously struggle to maintain inadequate fabric of buildings and parking areas i.e. in Kaimes. Good family sized accommodation but constructed from poor materials who is going to pay to improve this? Kirknewton sign at east end of village has 'r' & 'v' covered up so now reads 'Pleasedie slowly' I don't want to die slowly! Landscape area behind Kaimes also other grass areas as Council won't adopt & householders don't do their bit to look after. Litter Litter in & around village

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Play park but pleased its being dealt with 'Pond' that developed in Park is a hazard, especially very young children some park stuff is vandalised The Park Use some of empty spacesin Kaimes for play park e.g. behind houses Older kids don't have much to do in the Park

want to work Primary school oversubscribed Priority for school places should be for those already living here. School not capable of expanding with the community School too small due to new housing Size of school not adequate for all new housing Too many houses& new developments for school therefore uncertainty of getting a place.

Litter, fly tipping & general untidiness Local pub in poor condition Looking a bit run down (overall general comment) Looks tatty got tattier Noisy standing outside pub & brings down the tone & standard of village None Not clean Not kept as clean as used to be Parking areas in Kaimes are messy Poor cleanliness, communal grass doesn't get cut Council don't clean up as dispute on ownership. Several areas of the town are scruffy & poorly maintained. Lots of small & large areas of land are filled with litter & waste, even very closeto the village centre. Not enough care is taken to make the town more aesthetically pleasing, a specific example is the old bus left rotting away at the local garage?Roadsin/out of Kirknewton are also scattered with litter. The local pub doesn't appear to have a name? Looks a bit scary too. Road sign on way into village appears to say 'PleaseDie Slowly'! Someparts look a bit run down Someparts of village never get swept by Council Street cleaning not as good as could be Streets need cleaned up after snow the car parks in Kaimes are getting very dangerous children play about in them and the council workers who go about lifting litter off the roads and pavements should go to Specsavers as they do not do a very good job The whole village could do with a deep-clean; parts of it are filthy, mainly on the two private estate patches.

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The whole village could do with a general tidy, housing areas scattered with general rubbish Unsightly broken down busesin garage on main road Various public places in the village that are very unkempt, in particular the area at the bus stop on Main Street opposite Meadowbank Road. I've done a bit of research on this piece of land & it would appear that it's the responsibility of the residents of the Kaimes Estate to maintain this area

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT - 42 • All the cars particularly Main Street • Area by rail crossing doesn't feel safe 7-8 trains an • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

hour (not all stop, some are freight) Busesin Main Street Busy road Busy road running past school too much traffic Car parking in Main Street & near school at pickup time Cars drive through village too quickly Concerned about the waste of money making an underpass becauseof human error when people won't want to walk through it Congestion down at the School during snow no bus service, no cleaning of roads, isolated Hugely busy around Main Street areas at times an accident waiting to happen Inconsiderate drivers/parking Level crossing & accidents don't know what's happening & how it will affect the village. Main Street & traffic nightmare going from top end of village down Main Streets lots of parked cars Needstraffic calming measures No disabled parking in Main Street No safety mechanisms (flashing 30 sign, sleeping policemen etc.) coming into village both sides Parking bad Parking in the Main Street Parking in village Parking is dreadful throughout village Parking near school at drop-off & pick-up time nightmare for buses Parking not being able to park outside the house

LOCAL ECONOMY - 4 • Lack of affordable childcare presents many parents •

working. Broadband speedsare slow by all network

DEVELOPMENT & PLANNI NG - 9 • Bins out the front of the houseson Main Street makes it difficult with buggies dangerous having to

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West Lothian Council is rubbish in regards to services they provide - bigger than what they want to deliver Wheelie bins there can be 30 left in car park Within Kaimes estate a lot of unmaintained areas (hard standings/grassed areas) which always seem to have no clear info on responsibility Would like to seethe effort here that's happening at Blackridge/East Calder

Parking on main road & vehicles couldn't get through in snow Parking problem Parking some people have 3 or 4 vehicles & commercial vehicles so can't get in & out of garage (Kaimes) Petrified of crossing @ railway twice in 2 years barriers been up when train came through Rail crossing is still very poor as well Road outside the School in the mornings is a nightmare with people parking Seemsmore dangerous for children going to school when all the cars are parked be better if they walked Since the new traffic lights were put in on the A71 traffic in the village has increased Someof the footpaths are too narrow & unsafe, although it would impact on traffic (but slow cars down!!) - they should be widened. Too many heavy lorries using as a by-pass Too much village traffic/congestion Traffic in the village roads too narrow Traffic is too fast Traffic on A71! Traffic through the village too fast, particularly pas airfield Traffic travels too fast throughout Kirknewton. The speed bumps at the School have very little effect. The entry & exit routes need good speed bumps & signs displaying drivers' speed are needed. Drivers pick up speed driving out past Hillhouse Terrace & then past Hillhouse Wynd Unnecessary to spend all the money on a tunnel it's not the crossing, it's the way people use it Years trying to get lollipop person by POto make it a safe crossing here

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providers Poor radio signals mobile/TV/poor internet speeds. Slow Broadband/lack of complete cable coverage

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use the road (double buggy & dog) Danger of over development planning applications

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for areas inevitably will lead to increased population, traffic etc. It's grown too much Live opposite area where proposed underpass will be started leads to top of agricultural land. Probability land in between used for development No gas in all houses No housesavailable

MISCELLANEOUS - 38 • A lack of visibility of the police within the village. I •

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have yet to seethe community officer on the beat in any regular certainty. More community policing & police awarenessfor the kids. Police need to make presenceaware, especially with the new Park. Police to be proactive with teenagers. No Police presence No Police presence- Police based in Broxburn which is too far away Guy with knife @ house for 20 minutes but half an hour before police came No Police they only come during the day when kids not around. Bus stop near the graveyard bad (the police know it’s a bad spot) Lack of police presence Air quality often poor smelly & airborne dust/dirt Distributed rather than nuclear village Had to fight tooth & nail to get gritting at the top end of Braekirk Avenue Need to get more individuals involved in community projects same faces at all meetings Not a huge amount of things for kids & adults to do Not a lot of political interest Kirknewton is on the fringe of West Lothian possibly stronger links perceptionally with Edinburgh Old stayers & newcomers (dormitory town) split community Progressively becoming too busy for existing infrastructure Street lighting out for some weeks Too many committees/interest groups lacking a bit of focus which actually delivered something Vandalism & groups of youths in small square next to Chip Shop. They play football there & jeer at me when I come & go from my house. Footballs damage my property. Nothing done about this. This colours my views Can't really say Grit needs to be cleaned up Grit used in winter gets into house. Should sweep up grit & reuse. It took 3 days for tractor to get down to Kaimes from main road had to dig ourselves out lots of complaints were put on Facebook.

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Not sufficient social & affordable housing People can't get houses Someareas need developed to improve appearance & safety (in terms of accessfor elderly & disabled) e.g. area at bus top opposite graveyard & parking areas & grass boundaries within Kaimes housing scheme.

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I've lived here all my life (over 32 years). I'm not interested becausethe incomers weren't here when the waste was dumped & now they want to take over with the compensation money & change for themselves. We had to live with it. Newcomers come becauseit's cheaper than Balerno but they don't give you the time of day & don't give way in the village with cars. Kids a nuisance burnt my hedge last year. Seemto want to vandalise. Vandalised what is already in Park & concerns about new things to be put in & how they will be looked after. Needed to take about 2 week’s holiday becauseof snow of last 2 winters. The way cars were parked stopped services getting down to Kaimes. Not able to get out for 3 days over winter slopes& ice. This affects people's working life. Snow plough piled the snow up round the cars. Older Primary kids & some High School kids hanging out in the square near the Development Trust, drinking & smoking Parking issueson-going but especially when snowing. Frequent double parking on Kaimes Crescent especially at night time means it's a hazard. Bin lorries can't get down. Primary School kids in Graveyard - playing football. Climb on old grave. Throw flowers out of bin. Get 'cheek' when approached. Public areas & roads, car parks not maintained broken bits of cement. Roads in Kaimes area not managed well when there was snow. Sort the water supply at the cemetery so it can be used Tap at Cemetery is locked so can't get water need to get water from the river which is very dangerous. When come into the village, it is a hill at either end need salt out quicker in winter Boy racers on road to Kirknewton Flooding on Haggs Road from Burnwynd along Dalmahoy Road – floods frequently & means a big circular route to High School Main gas supply runs down road but refuse to connect us Noise of traffic on main road

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Appendix 3: All comments: Changes/Improvements

610 recorded

comments LOCATION – 5 • Kirknewton has an excellent location and not • •

enough is made of this! Nothing We moved her 2.5 years ago and just love living here there is an amazing community feel, good communication network with fb/connect, perfect

WALKING & CYCLING – 44 • Accessfor walking & cyclists could be improved • Accesspath up Newlands way which would give

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circular route Stables way & Ormiston, should be linked if they want to be part of our community, with sensor lights on the path to save energy by being solar powered. Paths don't have to be expensive could be whindust which is local to Ravelrig Quarry. Alternative to wheelie bins in Kaimes there's lots of steps up & down to housesso they're left on path so no room for walking, buggies & small children on bikes & scooters. Suggest communal large bins put into parking area separate for recycling, especially with the new food waste recycling due to happen. They would be quicker to empty. Better accessto safe cycle paths Better signs & accessto local country walks, especially to connecting local features like Dalmahoy Hill, Balerno, Pentlands etc. Bike paths Kirknewton to East Calder Can the tractor path be used next to farm which goesunder A71? Create signposts for country walks Cycle lane by School but people parking what's the point of it if it can't be enforced for cars not to park Cycle paths linking the outlying housing areas i.e. Ormiston, Newlands, Humbie etc. Cycle paths, extend rural paths Cycle routes from the village suitable for children in particular to link with Almondell Country Park Encourage walking to school Enforce no parking outside the School to ease traffic problems in the morning maybe set up a Walk to School system which may bring people together & strengthen the community. Farmers: put up a notice about which areas can be used to walk across land Foot/cycle path connection to Pentland walks Footpath at side of road out of village to Linburn Road (seemap) Improve facilities: cycle paths, paths wider & open up pathway opposite Ormiston Farm for

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rail network and the pub has always a friendly environment for a wee dram at the end of the week!! Keep up the great work for the Kirknewton Community and thanks for everything to date. We're fine, have a car & able to get where we want to for things not in village Wouldn't want Kirknewton to get any bigger

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cycling/walking Improve path up to airfield (seemap) Keen cyclist more off road paths/cycle route to Edinburgh Make the most of what we have info about local walks, placesof interest Measured walking routes for Walking Group More community activities for all agese.g. cycling tracks/trails More cycle & walking paths More footpaths, paths through the farmland More people to walk instead of using car in the village More walking paths would be good More walks Path accessso people up Newlands way can be part of the community Path from village to Almondell Country Park could be more walker friendly & better for children (and bike path). Path improvements (seemap) Paths around village to encourage walking/cycling Rural network of paths around the area for hiking & cycling made more accessible (i.e. a path to Dalmahoy Hill etc.) Safer road crossing for pedestrians particularly children walking to/from school Seating in the village to encourage more people to walk more Somepaths impassable around the village Walk/cycle way Walking group idea sounds really good Walking/cycling paths/network wildlife areas to be indicated - lots of buzzards etc. We could try & formalise some of the informal footpaths around the village Would like to join a walking group want to keep active B/L Make pavement safe & clean

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B/L Pavement from A71 Linburn to Kirknewton

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(Top Priority)

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B/L State of Haggs Road

PUBLIC TRANSPORT - 58 • A more reliable AFFORDABLEbus service. First Bus • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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try your patience!! and your purse. An improved train service would be good i.e. more running later trains back from Edinburgh etc. Better bus service Better bus service sometimes not on time Better bus service unreliable put on a wee Sprinter Better bus service unreliable put on a wee Sprinter Better bus service, more frequent & starting earlier only 7.15am -11pm Better public transport more frequent & cheaper may result in fewer cars & congestion better train services Better transport Better transport wouldn't have to drive to work Better transport wouldn't have to drive to work Better/more public transport more reliable bus & train service Bus Bus link to Balerno: increased service as only 2hourly. Suggest the Lothian bus 44 could go to Kirknewton, then Ratho & become48 & pick up route to Edinburgh. Bus service could be better 28 has issuesoften late particularly 'rush hour' Bus service has improved over the years but still not so good don't stick to the timetable. Need to make sure it waits for the right time at the beginning of the village. Bus shelter near School needs side panels to keep wind out Bus shelter near School needs side panels to keep wind out First Bus contract withdrawn & given to a reliable provider plus regular checks made on their performance I really believe more public transport is essential to ensure happier residents. I don't want to take my car to work but I have if I want to get their & back in less than 3 hours I only work 12 miles away in Edinburgh city centre! improve bus service Improve regular busesespecially Sunday improve transport – difficult to get from KN to Broxburn Improved bus service e.g. differing routes other than to Edinburgh City & Bathgate e.g. to go to the Gyle Improvements to public transport (Balerno/Ratho) outside school hours Later busesor trains think last from Edinburgh is 11.30pm. 27 bus to Livingston could be diverted. Link up bus service so could get to East Calder

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(don't drive, mum at home) i.e. Medical Centre. Currently stops at top end & have to walk quite far with 2 children 2 & 4. local small bus connection between Kirknewton, East and Mid Calder and south to Balerno and Currie More busesat peak-time to & from Edinburgh More frequent bus & train service would improve carbon footprint as public transport would take more passengers. More parking, bus times linked to train times; fulfilment of village (ESO)dreams and plans More public transport would make it easier for people to get in & out of village Need more busesto get to local amenities need more frequent bus links with Balerno – high school children People need to know more about what's going to happen with the changesat level crossing with public transport put info in Konnect pram friendly buses Public transport from here to Balerno e.g. for evening classes Revamp whole structure of bus & should be regular (High priority) Something like the Post Office bus Train service to Glasgow that doesn't take 1 & quarter hours Train times could be improved upon particularly in the evening Train: improve services transport into Balerno for high school pupils to visit friends and social events transport links with Balerno only come 2/3 times a day – 424 need a timetable Try to get First busesto accept change and get them to issue live updates or becomemore reliable Would be good if Lothian busesserved the village (extension of 48 or 44 service) as less expensive than First Bus Would like a Lothian bus from Kirknewton e.g. to Livingston as First bus is rubbish Better public transport Better train & bus service train should be more than once an hour. Bus has improved but often runs late. B/L Bus stop reinstated @ Burnwynd on A71 B/L Bus stop reinstated at Burnwynd B/L Improve bus service so can catch near Burnwynd B/L Joiner @ Burnwynd employs people & there's no bus service B/L Paintball has to pick people up from bus stop but won't stop closer, but would be more convenient if stopped closer to Paintball B/L There is no layby coming out of Edinburgh at Dalmahoy and busesstop but refuse to stop at

Burnwynd using excuseof there being no layby

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B/L Clarity over the 28 bus, stopping @ Linburn Road end – one going into Edinburgh but not on

RECYCLING - 9 • A local exchange for goods(like Freecycle but local) • • •

would be good to reduce waste or things going to tip if others could put these to use Better recycling facilities Glassrecycling bins Glassrecycling bins

LOCAL FOOD - 16 • Allotments • Allotments • Allotments • Allotments good as well • Allotments idea good too place where locals can •

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buy locally grown produce allotments please, many new-build houses with small gardens – would also increase community spirit and pride in our village, promote food sharing Community gardens/allotments would greatly improve this community Confirming allotment space & more spacefor interested residents & school/nursery to be

VEGETATION 15 • A renewed focus on the wood that was planted • • • • • •

adjacent to the playing field tidy up paths, plant bulbs etc. A village-in-bloom project Bring in some summer planting in the village Generally tree planting to enhance the area, village & surroundings Grassareas could be prettier, like at bus stop on Hillhouse Terrace, area behind bus stop opposite cemetery Main Street lacking in colour e.g. a few hanging baskets on lamppost or similar e.g. space at Pub & at Festival shop Make more of flowers, plants to make the village more attractive planters outside the shop/on Main

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the way out B/L Improve bus service so can catch near Burnwynd - lit bus stop

I really like the bio energy idea Library/book swap in Hall once or twice a week to swap books More recycling facilities Recycling for glass in the village System of exchange Freecycle for surplus good

involved Fair trade cooperative Farm at railway could sell produce would be great Food co-op Improvement to neglected areas (could areas that are currently unused & land ownership unclear be used for allotments by residents?) In summer a weekly market for sale of local produce Local food information suppliers buy locally Surplus food, garden stuff barter system Try to encourage more people in food production maximise soil's fertility

Street Maybe some floral decoration would cheer up the Main Street More trees planted around to hide the railway. Farm at level crossing end re planting trees More trees planted look after village wood More trees planted look after village wood More woodland 'Senseof arrive' into village & plant daffs on verges on approachesinto village Signage of footpaths & general signage in area points of interest e.g. conservation village The banks along the burn could be greatly improved nettles & other weedshave taken over

• CAFÉ - 16 • A Cafe for everyone to congregate, with filled rolls

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for passing trade, Smoothy makers & healthy services for kids & adults alike somewhere funky & up-to-date nice decor, Pannini's etc. A cafe somewhere to meet friends A cafe, even a couple of days a week, serving lunch ...Village Hall? A central meeting place/Cafe A small Cafe lots of parents drop kids off at clubs

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which only last half an hour cafe – somewhere to go that not outdoors Coffeemorning to meet & chat e.g. good for those widowed, or people on their own still active & don't feel old enough for pensioners group. Not sure where to put it. Coffeeshop open during day (1-3 or 4 pm) with buggy space & toys, possibly at 'Potter Around' but as off beaten track best in village - Village Hall?

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Coffeeshop or somewhere for lunches able to socialise in village without having to go to say Livingston. Suggest somewhere in corner of park as lots of land, or building near school. (seemap) Coffeeshop somewhere for mothers to go during the day with kids Community Cafe Community Cafe, providing a place to meet

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COMMUN I TY CENTRE - 30 • A bigger Community Hall (Village Hall is great but • • • • •

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not big enough for a lot of things) A Community Centre A Community Centre or for the one we have to be redecorated A community Centre would be lovely as Village Hall is small for some uses. If a community Cafe could be incorporated then this would be great. A Community space for music practice, dance, meetings etc. A new Community Centre is an obvious improvement space for playgroup, Kaspars, pensioners, youth club, sports clubs etc. The village would grow as a community (although not in size) with the provision of a new Community Centre. A new Community Centre open for the young and elderly alike, available for private functions to make it more viable Better Community Centre Better Community Centre more open plan? Better Village Hall/new Community Centre Big Community Centre that can be used for everyone, more clubs for kids, could be hired out for private functions Bigger Village Hall Community Centre Community Centre Community Centre community centre at edge of village so more

DOG ISSUES - 29 • Better & cleaner pavements dog poo dog warden • • • • • • • • •

monitoring Clean up the streets - dog fouling a problem in the Park too Couple of bins up from WhitemossRoad for dog poo Deal with dog fouling Dog messdog patrols should be out of hours not just 9-5. Dog messmanagement Dog warden patrolling Dog wardens 7-9pm & 6am onwards as this is when dog walkers are out Education for dog owners to stop fouling Fencearea off in park to exclude dogs

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My youngest child who is 5 comesto the village hall on a Saturday. The class lasts just over half an hour & could do with a Cafe to go & sit, as time you would go down the road, time to come back. Nicer social place than pub maybe Cafe type venue Perhaps a coffee shop Restaurant/Cafe/Pub family friendly

parking and kids playing around it doesn't disturb people Community Centre with small coffee shop for elderly Community Centre with somewhere for kids to go Community Hall with coffee shop/restaurant good to have a centre all ages can use Improve Community Centre facilities Improve the Village Hall or get a new one Larger centrally placed Community Hall/Cafe/informal elderly day activities Need a Community Centre with space for pool table etc. Open 6 at night supervised. 6-10 in dark hours to give teenagers something to do get the kids involved in raising money. New Community Centre with Surgery, better storage, car parking etc. Somemoney spent on improving the Village Hall facilities Village Hall done up & used more profitably i.e. things for wee boys Village hall expand/improve use for all ages especially teenagers Why do we always have to pay for Halls some families in the village are struggling have things on in the Hall that's free. Not all the pensioners are well off & costs need to be kept down so they can join in. Would be good to have a Community Centre/Bowling Green (seemap)

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Find a way of changing people's behaviour to clearing up after dogs. Lessdog muck on pavements & Play Park Licenseto have a dog More dog bins More dog bins More dog bins More dog litter bins in the Main Street

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More dog muck bins

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More education re health dangers of dog & cat poo More fines or preventative measures to stop dog fouling More litter & dog bins around the place

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More poo bins in the Park area (seemap)

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More posters for dog mess More presenceof dog wardens to addressdog fouling problem Need to get owners to pick up dog poo in lane near farm

MORE FACILI T I ES/ACTIV I T I ES – 155 General - 97 • A pub for the whole community family friendly • a social place to meet • A weather shelter for the very dedicated lollipop • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

lady Accessto a swimming pool! (Kirknewton baths would be better nearest public pool is Broxburn. 'Bubbles' doesnot count. Accessto Health Centre facilities within village particularly for those without own transport & the elderly An oral history of the village Another pub or somewhere to eat ATM ATM in Kirknewton I think this would be well used & helpful addition to the village ATM/ cash line machine would be useful ATM/Cash point ATM/Cash line ATM/Cash line hole in the wall Badminton Better Broadband Better facilities i.e. a cafe would be nice Better mobile & reliable Broadband would allow working from home better pub Better pub/food Better shops/more choice of goods to purchase Better sports facilities for all agese.g. accessto tennis courts at Wellwood Estate Bigger, better Gala more activities, maybe even parade Bowling Club Butcher Charity shop to self-fund info centre Charity shop to self-fund info centre Chemist Chemist Club House for football in the Park can't play 11/ a side need changing room Community art projects Community based coffee shop could be used for clubs e.g. knitting. In Newport on Tay there's one that is a gift shop too, which has volunteers & community donate baking. Volunteer staffing might be difficult for those with small children. Suggest building near Drummond Housing site & becauseno development seemsto be happening there (Mapped)

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New children's Park (which is already happening!) that's fenced off to keep dogs out Removal by dog owners of their dog's mess! Responsible dog owners Too much dog mess!

Community/Doctor Centre Cooking club Progressive meals Cooking club Progressive meals Could be another shop Could be more for older kids to do so they don't wreck the Park for younger children Cycle Club in summer Doctor in village Doctor or at least Nurse of Physio to visit village Doctor or at least Nurse of Physio to visit village Doctor's surgery (even a drop-in) closest is East Calder Doctor's surgery in village dying pubs – need more people going to it – better atmosphere East Calder on a Friday night has a Youth Club. My son who is 10 used to go. They do craft, snooker, play games, there's a Wii. Good for them socially. Kirknewton could do with something like that. Encouragement of more community involvement Entertainment for older people a new club Events in the Park e.g. in summer Fast Broadband Faster Broadband (working from home) Fenceplay area against dogs & to stop little kids getting out few more local facilities – shops – things to do considering the population few more shops Food co-op Gala flags should be throughout the village Good to have a bakers in Kirknewton Hard surface in Park for team sports I moved into Kirknewton in June 2007& did not know anyone in West Lothian. The good thing was the existence of the Konnect Directory which gives information on the area but I wished I could have more information about the village and the activities/community life when I moved in. If more people got involved in things like Gala Day, more joining up & sharing of resources amongst the different organisations Improved facilities e.g. local pub raising profile of Kirknewton In full time jobs in our 30's with no kids and I would like to seesome kind of activity for working adults! A lot of the activities appear to be for kids, families and or older people etc. I was thinking something

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like adult learning i.e. fitness, language class, EDCL and/or book club. Zumba is the only fitness available and costs 4 pounds for 45 mins! The list of relative cheap/easy to set up activity is endless. Increased community spirit!! Interested in history of village & done historical research Kirknewton would be a much better place if more people choseto be involved in community projects/clubs etc. Local based Surgery have to depend on a driver (I don't drive) Local Health Centre perhaps More activities in the village (all ages) More events/activities for families e.g. in Village Hall more facilities/entertainment More individuals involved - new scopeto actions More news about the life in the village (activities/groups/events etc.) More shops - chemist More shops, a good pub with food where you could go for a family meal More traditional pub Music rehearsal space in the 'Eco' shed Need a clinic/doctor once or twice a week Need health classesat Community Centre e.g. Dance lessons, self defence Needsto be more for families

Youth - 58 • 12-16 for Youth Club 5-6.30pm hour & a half, • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

physical games A cafe for young people Activities for children e.g. 9 years + Activities for teens Activities for teens e.g. a Club Ask the kids Ask the young people Bit more for teenagers to do Get the kids involved in developing ideas i.e. get involved in raising money for community building Important to have somewhere for teenagers & high school pupils, though they are not a problem. Maybe a community space with drop-in facilities for teenagers (i.e. table tennis, Wii etc.) More activities for children i.e. Skate park More amenities for children More for kids 5-a-side More for teenagers especially boys, i.e. drop-in cafe internet thing - already one for an hour a week but its limited to Church so may put some people off. More for the younger ones lack of transport & can't drive etc. move classes for kids – i.e. karate – locally so don't

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Nice local inn & restaurant No dental surgery so have to go to East Calder Medical Centre OK if have car bus times have improved Our own Doctor's Surgery Practise room for bands Pub painted & fettled (smartened up) Pub: lunches, tea/coffee Shop: improve range of goods sold Slimming club in Village Hall once a week Sports: tennis courts Mr Wellwood? Would he open up to village use? Tennis courts @ Burnwynd but no public transport access The Kirknewton pub could do lunches, tea/coffee Village Feast might becomean autumn fair Village Feast might becomean autumn fair We need something to invite non-residents to village e.g. restaurant/tea shop/walking make use of the views/country parks/adventure playground Website Would be good to have little shop in Linburn Would like to seethe return of traditional aspects of gala day i.e. gala queen, page boy and ladies in waiting. More bins around Cheaper stuff in the shop Kirknewton needs to improve what it has because lots of people are very bored & don't ken what to do

have to rely on public transport Multi-purpose gym hall, i.e. different coloured lines for different sports e.g. tennis red, football green (like Ratho) open at night for Brownies, Guides, football, hangout for teenagers. My children are now past nursery age but wrap around care for this age group would be appreciated by many Need to be things for the teenagers Needsto be more in the village for all age groups & young people boredom is leading to vandalism Opportunities for children & young people to participate in the development of community life Quite happy with what I need, though it's the young ones who need things Rugby group Sunday morning would lead a group (volunteer to work with youth teams) Safe outdoor area for children Skate Park built in Park for older children skateboard area up in the park Soccer group Somesort of childcare/nursery that would bring people from all the housing areas together Somesort of meeting place for young people Somesort of play area in Kaimes

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Somesort of Youth/Activities Club for 11-16 year olds Something for older kids Something for the teenagers Something in place for the children i.e. a regular Youth Club Something needs doing for teenagers because getting bored & trouble Somewhere decent for the kids i.e. 6-12 year olds Teens Cafe or drop-in There doesn't seem to be a youth club or teenage meeting place. I am sure with a volunteer rally/training we could try and meet the youth of Kirky needs. After all these YP are the next generation and keeping in touch with their needs will help with anti-social behaviour, discipline and potentially make them more responsible citizens as well as bridging gaps in our community. Things for 11-16 year olds. We need a youth leader or a teen group to plan things for themselvesthere is money around as seen in the Funding Fair. Things for 11-16 year olds. We need a youth leader

PARK - 48 • A better Park • A tennis court in the Park • Another play area other side of village from the • • • • • • • • •

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Play Park Area in Kaimes (seemap) improve & tidy up & make it an area safe for kids to play. Better Park play equipment Better Park with more modern play facilities Better paths in Play Park to make them weatherproof & more user friendly for pram-pushers, children on bikes & skates etc. Better use of the Park area more facilities for all, not just younger children big park needs more for older children Bike track in Park Bike track in Park Central entry to Play Park needs reinstatement for convenience of adult & child users (currently children climb over fence & sometimes hurt themselveswhere gate used to be) Exercise machinery in Park Fencein new Play area as then safer environment & clean from dog poo Five-a-Side pitch for main Park & lit so can play longer, especially in winter Give Kirknewton Park lighting for kids Have an all-weather hockey pitch at a Sports Centre like East Calder I know the park will be done up & will then use. improve park Improve: play facilities dated Improved Park

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or a teen group to plan things for themselves there is money around as seen in the Funding Fair. Things for older children things for the kids to do – 16 yr. old- nothing to do Was a drama club but only to P7 would like something like that for older/teens Youth Club Youth Club Youth Club 12-16, 5-6.30pm physical games, food Youth Club at weekend Youth Club for older children Youth Club indoor bowling, gamesin Park Youth Club staggered for different ages(would be prepared to volunteer for 2 hours a week) Youth Club teenagers 12-16 Youth Club: children to play on a Friday night Youth clubs youth clubs 16-18 yr. olds – something to do Skate Park A better play area Skate Park becauseit is a good place to hang out

Improvements to facilities in Park for children Lighting in the Park Maybe another Park for kids, nearer the other end of the village so kids that aren't allowed up to the main Park can play nearer to home (Kaimes) so it's a bit safer than them walking on their own. More smaller Parks around Kirknewton instead of one big one Other small parks as now have bigger population possibly in field & waste ground between Kaimes & railway. (seemap) Outdoor green gym in Park e.g. treadmill, weight pressese.g. Craigshill in Livingston & fantastic example @ beach in Leven Park Park - more for young ones to do been an issue since being here for 20years Park area could be more of a hub & build on what is in village. park could be better for kids Park develop for all agesto use i.e. bike track Park improve Park improvements Park is great but once it's dark it's no good need flood light i.e. a goal lit-up the furthest away Park needs to meet the needs of the older children as well (have 9, 7, & 3 year olds) Park should be dog free as there is plenty of woodland Park skate boards Park space needs further development (aside from play equipment) no provision for 8+age group Park: better football goals; a bike track

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Park: lots of scopeas plenty of room Play Park needs much more improvement than currently planned Running track in the Park Skate Park for older kids Special needs provision e.g. if not as aware as some other children of boundaries, so have gates in park, nets for goals

SCHOOL - 15 • 5 million pounds spent on underpass might be • • • •

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spent more usefully on enlarging or building a new school. All-weather pitch at school and/or tennis court Annual litter awarenesscampaign in Primary School aimed at children (+ parents/adults) Expand school to ensure places for all village kids Extend or build new school as oversubscribed priority for those living in village Housing in the village is expensive and cost of living relatively high perhaps more affordable housing should be purchased & provided back to residents. I would not like to seemore housesbeing built village is big enough & school is full. Modernise school facilities

• • APPEARANCE - 26 • A community wide effort to clear up litter & keep • • • • • • • • • • •

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the village clean. It works elsewhere. Arrange a community litter collection or ask Council to do it Ask garage owner to hide/remove old bus Brighter more lively Main Street Bulldoze Kaimes Estate & rebuild Cleaner & tidier cleaner streets council to remove extra grit from footpath Facelift with tidy fencing who has responsibility? (Kaimes) If it was a brighter, more colourful village Improve the look as Kaimes is tatty Improve waste ground on right hand side going to East Calder (seemap) it's a bog in the winter & been like it for 16+years. Builder should do something about it. Improved cleaning from Council. Cut communal grass. Dispute ownership get it sorted Improved waste collection larger bins to collectively store waste as opposedto lots of wheelie bins on street

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT - 62 • As all residents know, the 'S' shaped bend in the Main Street is a hazard, especially because,due to insufficient parking spaces,cars are forced to park on one side of the street. Cars, vans, lorries & buses

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The kids love football & need lights in the Park becausewhen it gets dark they move to the Main Street Two flood lights on a time switch/sensor away from the house at far end of the football pitch so kids could play at night. Use some of empty spacesin Kaimes for play park e.g. behind houses

More spacesin the school Priority for school places should be for those already living here. School also needs a shelter in playgroup for parents picking up School needs more classroom space, as housesstill getting built, thus more kids coming into village. School to be modernised School: more classroom space for the expanding village School: school could have a shelter so that when it is raining parents won't get wet Slightly larger Primary School facilities needed to cater for existing population

Landscape area behind Kaimes (map) also other grass areas as Council won't adopt & householders don't do their bit to look after. More bins to put rubbish in Paint houseson Main Street different colours (e.g. like logo) Pub: improve appearance; bin for extinguishing cigarette ends Pub hanging baskets Renew/clean sign at east of village Re-paint pub and make it look less scary & more inviting Review of unkempt public places in the village to make the village look better & a place that the residents of the village take a pride in snow clearance on the side streets would prevent the main street being blocked in winter Tidier, less litter etc. Tidy up the village may create a senseof pride within the community West Lothian District Council to use some legal muscle to make home owners clean up their properties & gardens

all have to drive through the village and speeding is a problem. Therefore, I suggest 2 'sleeping policemen' to be built on the Main Street, approaching the said 'S' bend.

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At the moment there is too much village traffic too many heavy lorries using as a by-pass Better street lighting between the railway station & the traffic lights (this is a dangerous road to walk at night) Better traffic management in village i.e. electronic sign or bump, also on airport road or near school (map) Big advance warning signs to make people aware of the Kirknewton turning – traffic lights Bus area is marked on one side but not on other, plus area should be marked as no parking Car park areas in Kaimes could be maintained for safety when people are mobilising as on a steep hill Change Network Rail's plans for crossing improvement for options more acceptable to community Closethe Main Street to rat-running lorries, limited use of yellow lines to control carelessparking, speed reducing methods on Station Road right up to Newlands Estate. Disabled parking somewhere near Shop/PO/Village Hall Disabled parking somewhere near Shop/PO/Village Hall Double barrier on the crossing wouldn't be as expensive as a tunnel Double barrier to railway Double yellow lines through village Double-arm rail crossing barriers instead of 6million pound alternatives that deprive longstanding excellent farmer of some of his prime land. Fix the rail crossing Flashing lights to warn of speed Full barrier at Station I seem to be the only person who thinks the bridge to replace the level crossing is a good idea improvements to traffic, parking (rationalisation of), pedestrian, cycling, seating Limit speed on winding road to Kirknewton Limiting accessin the Main Street to cars & NO HUGETRUCKS Make Kaimes Crescent a one-way becausenarrow & double parking Make Kaimes Crescent a one-way becausenarrow & double parking Managing the traffic in Main Street no easy solution More considerate driving through Main Street & less selfish parking More speed bumps on road from Balerno side of village to reduce traffic speed passing school Needsto be clear where bus stops – particularly for non-drivers/teenagers & older people Not enough parking space(Kaimes) one way traffic lights at either end of the village

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Parking area Parking restrictions on the main street to easeroad rage and congestion. Speedhumps are positioned on the Main Street (blind bend by the graveyard, village end (junction with Meadowbank Road and in between long straight portion of road) Apparently 2 cats have been killed over the last two months on this short portion of road and a dog was killed by a bus last year. Also a child was killed while crossing after leaving the bus about 25 years ago. Grit boxes would be good for people to manage the icy/snow conditions on the rural roads to please. I'm up Leyden Road and although I managed after 3 months of pestering to get a box put on the bad corner as it leaves the railway line, someonehad stolen it within a week! If not boxes, can I suggest a Kirknewton village central store of grit that everyone can accessto take away a supply to help look after their own area? This would be easy for the council to maintain and I'm sure locals would find it more helpful. Parking space (live on Main Street) Parking up Main Street extend car park in Park to allow parking to get off the streets Proper safe pavements from bus stop to Burnwynd Protect pedestrians: Cars start speeding down as going out of village when they get from Meadowbank Road onwards. Pavements very narrow here so if have buggy & child or dog, have to walk in road. Having traffic calming or narrow the road. (Mapped) Putting full-length barriers at the level crossing would make it much safer Safer road crossing Safety mechanisms coming to village especially outside Hillhouse Wynd flashing '30' sign (slow down) and/or narrow road/sleeping policemen Something to manage traffic congestion on Main Street Sort out signage at A71 to stop commercial traffic heading for Kirknewton village instead of Camps!! Speedbumps on Road at Hillhouse Wynd (To

Map ) •

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Speedhumps are positioned on the Main Street (blind bend by the graveyard, village end (junction with Meadowbank Road and in between long straight portion of road) Apparently 2 cats have been killed over the last two months on this short portion of road and a dog was killed by a bus last year. Also a child was killed while crossing after leaving the bus about 25 years ago. Traffic - possibly flashing warning lights near school SPEEDREDUCINGMEASURESVehicles enter & exit Kirknewton at ridiculous speedsespecially leaving through the east exit. Speedsof up to 60mph. Proper speed bumps & a sign showing their speed are needed.

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Traffic calming coming into the village this is basic safety especially as the School path runs alongside it Traffic calming in Main Street Traffic calming measures on Main Street all the way through to Hillhouse Wynd Traffic controls: speed signs in & out of village, speed bumps, parking in Main Street Traffic management in Main Street Traffic management on Main Street Yellow lines in the Main Street Alternative to wheelie bins in Kaimes there's lots of steps up & down to housesso they're left on path so no room for walking, buggies & small children on bikes & scooters. Suggest communal large bins put into parking area separate for recycling, especially with the new food waste recycling due to happen. They would be quicker to empty. Disabled parking somewhere near Shop/PO/Village Hall Grit used in winter gets into house. Should sweep up grit & reuse.

LOCAL ECONOMY - 5 • Attracting more small businesses • Info on cheaper energy use in area as have no gas • Kirknewton needsto be nice enough that people want to come here. This could stimulate the local economy & support more facilities and amenities

DEVELOPMENT & PLANNI NG - 20 • Affordable housing • Alternative to wheelie bins in Kaimes there's lots of

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steps up & down to housesso they're left on path so no room for walking, buggies & small children on bikes & scooters. Suggest communal large bins put into parking area separate for recycling, especially with the new food waste recycling due to happen. They would be quicker to empty. Better management of bins on Main Street for safety Better plans for dealing with winter weather Guaranteed restriction on further residential development around village to keep size, surrounding countryside & feeling of community protected. Housing associations should come in & bring in social housing & housesfor people with a connection with Kirknewton should have a priority Maintaining & building on village e.g. good the Gala has come back. Maintaining senseof community by not allowing large-scale development

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It took 3 days for tractor to get down to Kaimes from main road had to dig ourselves out lots of complaints were put on Facebook. Make Kaimes Crescent a one-way becausenarrow & double parking Needed to take about 2 week’s holiday becauseof snow of last 2 winters. The way cars were parked stopped services getting down to Kaimes. No disabled parking in Main Street Not able to get out for 3 days over winter slopes& ice. This affects people's working life. Snow plough piled the snow up round the cars. Parking issueson-going but especially when snowing. Frequent double parking on Kaimes Crescent especially at night time means it's a hazard. Bin lorries can't get down. Roads in Kaimes area not managed well when there was snow. Sort out winter arrangements Kaimes is on slope & ice is dangerous especially older people & for children.

for local people to also benefit from. local business directory for services in the village i.e. hairdresser, beautician, dog walker, tradesmen services no local jobs

No wind farms please!! Not increasing size of village much further so as to keep its identity& separateness Not to let it get any bigger - more building would spoil the feel of the village Over development would lose the 'village feel' of the village & lessen its agricultural nature, leading to Kirknewton becoming a dormitory town. Rail crossing - there was a consultation on this but haven't heard how there's any progress. Sort out winter arrangements Kaimes is on slope & ice is dangerous especially older people & for children. Sort the water supply at the cemetery so it can be used Widen the narrow pavements between the Shop & the Park & at the bottom of the village Wider pavements Would be nice to seethe old gate restored near the traffic lights A71 – Linburn Wouldn't want Kirknewton to get any bigger Solar panels on all community buildings

MISCELLANEOUS - 29

A reliable signal on phone e.g. today is typical trying to get signal for several hours to speak to other people in village depend on it as no landline. Better gritting in the winter Council says communal Kaimes areas belong to MOD Council seeking opinions from residents about their performance Garage owner stopped from extending his businessto public area Grit used in winter gets into house. Should sweep up grit & reuse. Having villages own supply of salt in advance of winter e.g. Park & a few other places throughout village Higher visibility of community policing between the times of 19.00& 22.00. I think a culture change is needed in Kirknewton. In this new challenging world, communities such as ours need to integrate to survive. I think there could be a class divide with middle class people moving out of the city into a predominantly working class village. Something to break this stigma of classesand the 'newcomers' from the 'locals' would help greatly with this, to help aid integration. Is there any system in place to support elderly or infirm in casesof extreme snow etc. when care at home services can't get through? A local buddy system could be set up. Knowing who - elderly or disabled - who could do with help shopping, company system for holding this information Limit the area beside the Community Office so this isn't a football area for children

Maintaining & building on village e.g. good the Gala has come back. Nothing particularly Information points about history of the village School inform children not to go & play in Graveyard educate them @ School Solar panels on all community buildings Sort out Midlothian versus West Lothian conflict for postal addressversus local authority Sort out winter arrangements Kaimes is on slope & ice is dangerous especially older people & for children. More community policing & police awarenessfor the kids. Perhaps a mediator could be allocated for the village i.e. minor disputes/confrontations could be dealt with before they escalate/get out of control’. Police Police based in Livingston would be better as closer than Broxburn Police keep checking Kirknewton Police officer to patrol A police man to patrol Police need to make presenceaware, especially with the new Park. Police to be pro-active with teenagers. Policemen on the beat to help with the little vandalism there is deter the teenage element I've lived here all my life (over 32 years). I'm not interested becausethe incomers weren't here when the waste was dumped & now they want to take over with the compensation money & change for themselves. We had to live with it. Newcomers come becauseit's cheaper than Balerno but they don't give you the time of day & don't give way in the village with cars

Appendix 4: Balerno High School 26 pupils 12 – 17 + Youths at Kozi Café under 15 THI NGS THEY LIKED LOCATION - 5 Good community, friendly Grassareas and open spaces, park, Good community Friendly

PARK - 1 Park when sunny

FACILI T I ES/ACTIV I T I ES - 13 Chippie

Chippie Football field football pitch Good Kozy Kafé Good shop Half decent shop Kozi Cafe Park Shop Shop Used to be something at the Church on a Sunday in the summer 6-12, paid 3 pounds and get food & drink was good

THI NGS THEY WERE NOT SO KEEN ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT - 5

FACILI T I ES/ACTIV I T I ES - 5

Bus to Ratho – Balerno – Kirknewton 424bus only during the week Busesnot reliable No good bus routes Poor bus services Transport, only one bus, prices, how often (more buses!)

Poor facilities not enough activities, not much to do for kids Nothing to do No skate park Not enough activities

PARK - 4 Park – not very entertaining, needing more items Park

APPEARANCE - 3 Sewer smell

Too dark to use the Park at night Pond in Park is dangerous for smaller kids Litter and gravel everywhere Kaimes Crescent Car Park / Cal de Sac needs cleaning up

CHANGES/IMPROVEME NTS THEY RECORDED AS BEING IMPORTANT E.G.

Better bus services to shopping centres Bus a few times a weekend that connects BalernoKirknewton-Ratho-Livingston (?424) Bus link to Ratho and Balerno is needed and needs to be frequent Bus route connecting Balerno, Ratho and Kirky to see mates Busesto Balerno 424not just 44 Improve bus services with lots of suggestions as to what can be done Improve Kirknewton Buses To Ratho 41 and 48 – to enable people to seeeach other in Ratho and Balerno

Skate Park – with lots of reasons why they would like one i.e. becausethere is nothing to do; last forever; it’s a hangout place; cost of transport and lack of it to other venues, lack of things to do. Costs a bomb to get the train e.g. £4-£15. Also “let the kids design it”; concrete built Skate Park mentioned by a lot of the students Somemore activities Try to have a variety of shops – remember the sweet shop Try to have more entertaining things for children (High School and Primary) Would be good to have a local football team Youth group enjoyed the one that was on

FACILI T I ES/ACTIV I T I ES - 12

APPEARANCE - 4

Better place for teens/children Football team Metal football pitches Motocrosstrack Put goalposts at field at the back of Hallcraigs

Flowers in areas Cleaning up messy areas – graffiti, poor tarmac Re-tarmac the car Parks in Kaimes Let kids change the village – look at what they want

PUBLIC TRANSPORT - 8

PARK - 8 Another set of swings or other equipment in the park Artificial turf so could be used all year round Astroturf in Park Flying fox

Lights in the Park Park improvements Park needs improvements and more play items Skateboard ramp in Park

LOCAL ECONOMY - 1 More business

Appendix 5: Kirknewton Nursery & Primary School NURSERY: WHAT THEY LIKE From single sheet with drawings Feeding the ponies The animals in the fields The fields The countryside Having a lollipop lady Village events like BBQsand Gala Days and Ceilidhs Dance classesat the Village Hall The Playgroup Kirknewton Nursery The bus The Railway Station The Post Office Swing Park Slide Walking to the Shops Friendly neighbours Cycling We like everything about Kirknewton It feels a safe place Peaceand quiet Our house I love going to the Park and playing on the slide Having a swing park New Play Park we are getting x 2 The swings and roundabout at the play park Big Park (especially when new play park built) Having a Park The Park playing on the swings Park The fact the Park is being upgraded Having a big Park (even better that it is soon to be refurbished following village consultation) I like seeing the cows in the field The fields Watching the lambs I like to feed the ponies I like to go and seethe ponies near the railway line I like to go for a walk in the countryside Animals in field Going in the woods Being able to walk in the woods Trees Being near the countryside The birds visiting the garden Walking to Nursery

Likes playing in the garden Having a Nursery and a School in the village The School and Nursery Nursery Nursery A great Nursery and Primary School Nursery School The Nursery/School Not too noisy My friends I like being able to walk to friends’ houses Being able to play in my street with friends and on my bike Friendly people Friendly neighbours People are kind and helpful Being able to ride my bike to School and the Park Cycling to the shop Ballet class x 2 Dance class at Village Hall The Gala Day Village events like BBQs,Ceilidhs, Irish Jigs and the Gala Day Going for walks x 2 Playgroup x 2 Playgroup A well-stocked village shop and handy Post Office Shop The shop The village shop becauseit has Cbeebiesmagazines Going to the shop to buy sweeties I like to go to the local shop and not have to go in the car all the time Post Office I like posting letters in the Post Office Keith the friendly postman! A lovely feeling of community Being safe on the road with Mrs Charleston Lollipop lady A lovely lollipop lady Having a regular (usually!) bus and train service Having a Railway Station Train Station

NURSERY: WHAT THEY DON’T LIKE Expensive bus service From single sheet with drawings No space left at the dance class No Youth Club or other things for older children

Fast cars! Crossing the road by the shops

No speed bumps No Cafe Old Park The slippery grit in the Park becauseI feel and hurt my knees No duck pond Somewhere to go on my bike Dog poo Broken glass Litter

Not much for kids to do as Park doesnot have much in it There might be room to fit me in the School When I get older I wish that there was more to do for older children, perhaps in the village Hall like a youth club We need more kids clubs in the village No space left at the dance class in the Village Hall (too small) Nowhere to go when raining local if you don't drive Nowhere to go for a cake and juice to meet friends with Mummy Somewhere to go on my bike

Dog poo in the Park and in our street Dog poo Dog poo in the Park and on the pavements is horrible!! Dog poo! (in Park and on pavements) Dog poo on all the pavements yuk! Lots of dog muck on pavements Doggy poo All the dog poo Dogsfrighten me when they run the Park and on the paths and are not on leads

Small pavements when I'm on my bike Busy road Crossing the road by the shop I don't like fast scary cars on the road Cars drive too fast Cars go too fast in the village No speed bumps

Broken glass Glassin the Park Rubbish in Park Litter in the Park Litter Grit on pavements I didn't like the slippery grit becauseI fell and my knees bleed Glassin playground

The Park at the moment I wish that there were new swings and a climbing frame in the play park No duck pond to feed ducks at! Being snowed in I don't like walking in the trees The bus service The unreliable bus service which is also expensive

NURSERY: WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE CHANGED/IMPROVEMENTED A fence to stop dogs going into the swing park From single sheet Another crossing for the road by the shops A new duck pond More space for dance classes(bigger community centre)

An ice-cream shop Book shop or Library

P1/ 2 H LIKES I like the way you can go to the village hall and do things I like the Park it's nice

I like the burn I like 'Potter Around'

DISLIKES I don't like broken glass Big lorries going too fast

No bridge to cross the rails

IMPROVEMENTS A bigger school Car park to make it safer at home time (parents can pull in) Village snowplough

Swimming pool or changing rooms More toys in the Shop Glassrecycling facility (Teacher comment) Clothes/can recycling facility (Teacher comment)

P2/ 1G LIKES Ballet, Rainbows, dancing, art club The Park Fresh water and milk

Houses Animals School

Chip shop!

DISLIKES The shop It is small At night people swing the swings around the poles (In the park)

At night people are noisy in the streets Lots of pollution from cars and buses

IMPROVEMENTS Get the Council to make the gardens better

A bigger Chip Shop

P3 / 2 LIKES The School The Shop The Chip Shop

The Church The Park Our friends and family

The houses

DISLIKES Litter in the Park The Graveyard is messy People throw glass The roads have cracks in them

Improvements More things in the Park More bins in the Park (or empty current ones) Bigger Village Hall Bigger School Change the Shop - more toys Bakers/Deli

PRIMARY 4 LIKES Top 3 selected by Class Train Station Potter Around Chippy There's lots of spacein the Park to play gamessuch as football Woodsin the Park The Park Park in the village Playground It's a small place so it's easy to find places The smell of the air The woods Trees The swamp The fields The people The farm Animals Nature Wildlife Countryside Weather

Train Station The Train Station Potter Around x 2 Cosy Cafe in the Village Hall School The School Village Hall Village Hall Chip Shop in the village Chippy x 4 Post Office x 2 Post Office in the village Festival Stores The Shopssell lots of stuff Village Shop Shop in the village Shop Pub in the village for adults Pavements Houses

People

The Streets

DISLIKES Top 3 selected by class Broken glass Bus Stops The Village Hall

Houses Roads Cars Broken bikes Trains

Park Park The park Basketball nets in the village

Lack of trees No grass The puddles

Maths Spelling Homework School

Hurting animals

Broken glass Graffiti Litter Broken glass Rubbish

Graveyard in the village Bus stops in the village Train track in the village

Resourcesfor the school The resources at school

The village hall The pub

IMPROVEMENTS Top 3 selected by class The bus timetables so they don't meet Add dog dirt bins More activities The Village Hall bigger Police Station The bus timetables so 2 busesdon't meet in the Main Street Add public toilets Add bins Add dog dirt bins More trees Bigger school Lessschool subjects No school The lunch tables in the school Lessviolence No silliness More fashionable clothes No school clothes More pets

Houseswith secret passages Tesco Express Pet Shop Festival Stores bigger Add shopping centre Add sports centre Add hairdresser Add a Kirknewton football team Add a cinema Men's sport shop Pet shop becausewe would like pets a lot Cloth and sports shops Shopswith umbrellas that block out light Activities Football goals in the school Astro pitch Swimming pool Add gym An ice rink Swimming pool becauseit would be very nice in the summer time Gym for exercise Child Gym Horse riding centre becausegirls really find it fun! Zoo becauselots of people like the Zoo

PRIMARY 5 LIKES Top selected by Class Placesto play Church

Clubs Friends Houses Park football pitch

Placesto Play Post Office The Chip Shop The Shop Potter Around

Railway Station The School Village Hall Wildlife Wood

DISLIKES Top selected by Class Litter/graffiti

Graffiti Dog poo on pavements Unkind people

Litter

IMPROVEMENTS Top selected by Class Football team

Lessgrit Shop bigger Toys in shop Football team Ice rink Swimming pool

More trees Closebins Fix roads

P6 LIKES School Teachers

The Railway: becauseI can go to Edinburgh to the Build a Bear factory

Our friends Friends My friend My family My house and friends My house x 4 Community My street My friends! My family My friends and family x 2 How we're all like one big happy family!

Park

Potter Around Potter Around Potter Around The Stables Kaspars x 2 Ormiston Mains Chips from the Chippy Chippy The Chippy x 2 The Chip Shop Shop Festival Stores The village Shop The weather Snow, rain, hailstones The snow

Church We live in Scotland The woods The wildlife The fields The woods & wildlife Wood The open space! The hill, round the back path The wildlife The swings in the Park The SIZEof the Park x 2 Internet TV My dinner Small village Our small School x 2 The Post Office Meadowbank Hill The Village Hall x 2 Building Site Houses

The Railway Station to get to Edinburgh & Glasgow

DISLIKES People put the swings too high round the pole

People chuck footballs at you when you are playing at the Park

People dropping cigarettes on the ground x 2 People playing with lighters at the Park near the toys People under 18 walk around with alcohol near little children People chucking stuff at the Village Hall windows Big kids walking around with knives in their hands Big people play on the little swings when little people want on them People should not be litter bugs People with pen knives People who burn things People swearing People smoking Drunk people People (older kids) wreck the Park

The weather

More bins round the Park Broken glass everywhere All the rubbish Litter (more bins) We don't like litter in the street Broken glass Cigarette things on top of bins Dog dirt (poo)

£ should go in improvements Small Post Office Bigger Park Better football pitch Bigger school More adventurous stuff for the Park ex. zip wire We want safe Railway Station Better signal for Broadband The Shop (Festival Stores) isn't big enough

The small Village Hall School Church Park Small school Not a lot to do except for the Park Put tarmac in front of the basketball net so you could bounce a ball & it's on a hill Closeddoors in classroom Shop not big enough (more variety of stuff in the shop)

IMPROVEMENTS Obstacle course in Park More events in Kirknewton AKA football lessons More arts and crafts lessonse.g. Pottery, clay making and glass making Assault course Youth club Kirknewton sports team Skate Park More stuff for the Park Paint balling at Kirknewton forest Paint balling at Kirknewton Park Bike track Water Park Swimming pool in the NAAFI Better football pitch Rugby team Kirknewton football, rugby, hockey, basketball team Indoor bit at the Park for soft play or arcade Improve the Park Get an obstacle course in the top end playground Roller coaster

Wildlife place in Kirknewton or near x 2 Animal safety centre for stray animals x 2 Bigger shop with clothes in it x 2 Cafe Starbucks x 2 Costa Gameshop x 2 A big shop Better Chippy Art shop Clothes shop Pet shop Ice cream stand in the Stand Cinema More fizzy strawberry laces in the shop x 2 Celebrities A Runway Show The Aeroplane Show Get some more bins in the Park

Classfor drug dealers to stop smoking and taking drugs Classfor all the drug dealers to stop

Fix the pavements A flower garden in the Park

P7 LIKES Top 3 chosen by class The Park especially with new plans in place to improve it Cosy Cafe somewhere to meet others The Shop

The wildlife / nature: cute and good for exploring Firs lots of them to climb Kirknewton Wood hide and seek, it's got bike bumps (small)

The new Park spacious, forests The Stables becauseit's good for younger children The Park we like playing football The woods it's good for playing games Lots of great surroundings for children, park, trees to climb etc. School becauseyou get good education The Cosy Cafe: it's fun, cosy and FREE! Cosy Cafe free biscuits and hot chocolate On Friday the Cosy Cafe so we can meet up The Village Hall used for parties/clubs Village Hall becauseit is good for parties and things Shop/Chippy becausethey are good things

The Chippy the food tastes nice Festival Stores it has nice food The Shop is good, the staff are lovely Everyone is friends A lot of nice people People becausethey're friendly Friendly village All our friends live here so we can play with our friends Someof the housesare nice It's closeto SOMEpeople's work

DISLIKES Top 3 chosen by class The Village Hall needs updated Nowhere to spend free time with others indoors Not enough bins to keep the area tidy The hall could be bigger for more clubs The hall's interior needs updated Village Hall too small The Village Hall is too small Community Hall too crammed, too small Concrete under basketball court Park - the green shed They said they were getting a skate park but it never happened One of the best play equipment was taken down There's no nets on the goals More things at the Gala Day (have a King and Queen?)

More activities in the weekends Nowhere to play really The Park becausethe older ones wreck it! Somepeople get very bored becausethere's nowhere to go Football pitch always gets wrecked Get proper grit for winter not just stones Litter Too much litter Not enough bins Firs - thistles Chippy no hygiene

IMPROVEMENTS Top 3 chosen by class Improve/update the Village Hall Develop a Skate Park e.g. ramps for bikes, skateboards Create a full time meeting place, e.g. Cosy Cafe but not limited to Friday Better entertainment Skate Park x 2 A Skate Park & dirt bike track in Park Bike track More play areas Football nets/improved pitch Nets on goals in Park More Zumba classes Library Basketball court Graffiti Wall Climbing Wall BMX course SKATEPARK Golf course Arcade Library with internet access

Village Hall needs refurbished Bigger Village Hall Upgrade Village Hall, make bigger (get extension) make community centre/job centre Baguette Express Butchers Chineserestaurant x 2 Greggs Ice cream stand / hot dog (in the summer) Ice cream stand Petrol garage Bank of Kirkie Shake Bar or Juice Bar Scotmid Bigger and better shop (get a co-op, more stock) Cafe Bus stops need new plastic windows More bins Bin lorry schedule Kids should be allowed in the pub till 7 o'clock

Make the Hall better

Known vandals not allowed in the Park CCTV for vandalism - if you're caught pay 50 pounds and village clean up

Bus lane behind Park Zebra crossing main road Knock down Meadowbank View's wall

Appendix 6: Maps with recorded site specific comments and ideas