Stobswell Pocket Places

Sustrans Scotland's Pocket Places programme is an opportunity for local communities to shape their neighbourhood and take a lead in making their local area a better place to walk, wheel, cycle - and live. 

We're working with Stobswell Forum, Dundee City Council and the local community to make your collective vision for Stobswell's shopping district a reality with simple but effective changes.

Celebrate the newly installed artwork on Albert Street and Langlands Street at Stobfest! We'll be on Craigie Street from 12-3pm on Saturday 21 May.

Come along to hear from local artists and add your stamp to Craigie Street by contributing to a temporary communal street chalk artwork.

Click on the widget below to scroll through our blog for the latest news about the project.

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Based on what we've learned from the local community so far, we've come up with a variety of suggestions for the area. We expect these to change as we incorporate feedback received from the community, Stobswell Forum and Dundee City Council. You can view our most recent design exhibition boards  here , which we presented at our on-street event on 30 September 2021.

Throughout the project we've been listening to people who live or work on Craigie Street or Albert Street and incorporating their ideas and feedback into our designs. Below are some of the ways people have been sharing their views.  Join our mailing list  to be notified when there are new ways to get involved.

We've held two on-street events in Craigie Street's temporary pocket park this year. On 1 July, we spoke to 42 people about our initial design ideas for the area based on earlier consultations with Stobswell Forurm and UNESCO City of Design Dundee. We used this feedback to develop designs for Albert Street and Craigie Street and presented these for feedback at our second pop-up event on 30 September 2021, where we received feedback from 33 people.

All of our design ideas have been shared as they've developed on Padlet, our virtual comment board. This was initially open for comment June-July 2021 with our initial designs, then again from September-October 2021 with our updated designs. People were able to like/dislike and comment on each design idea.

We also held online workshops in May and June with local representatives including Stobswell Forum, Ward Councillors and Friends of Baxter Park, and our  Sensory Walking Audit  has been available to download from our website throughout the project.

On 11 November, along with a Communities Officer from Dundee City Council, we went door-to-door on Craigie Street, speaking to residents about what they'd like to see as a more permanent solution for the current temporary pocket park that they overlook.

Throughout the project we've sent letters and leaflets to residents and business owners on Craigie Street and Albert Street, informing them of the project and different ways they could have their say. We also hand delivered surveys to residents on Craigie Street's west end and business owners on Albert Street.

Call us on 0131 346 1384 and leave a message for a member of the team to call you back.

If you are a BSL user, you can use Contact Scotland BSL to get in touch with us. Our phone number is 0131 346 1384.

After consulting local people, Stobswell Forum asked our team for support to develop a pocket park in the area where Craigie Street meets Albert Street. Since then, a temporary pocket park has been put in place by UNESCO City of Design Dundee and Dundee City Council in May 2021.

Sustrans Scotland is now working with Stobswell Forum and Dundee City Council to engage local people in designing and delivering simple, quick and effective changes to Stobswell's shopping district, including the Craigie Street temporary pocket park.

The Project is focused on the following areas:

1. Craigie Street Pocket Park.
2. The junction of Albert Street and Arthurstone Terrace.
3. Shopfront shutters along Albert Street between Arthurstone Terrace and Whaler's Close.
4. Signage/wayfinding for notable places within a 500m radius of Craigie Street.
5. Connections to Albert Street from Balmore Street, Park Avenue and Langland's Street.

Together, with the community in Stobswell, we aim to create high-quality, multifunctional and attractive spaces for socialising and spending time. We also aim to highlight local landmarks and points of interest within walking distance and make Stobswell's rich history, identity and character more visible throughout the project area.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, consultation on the temporary pocket parks was mostly online, but when restrictions lifted, Stobswell Pocket Places took discussions to the streets and spoke to local people in person wherever possible, combined with more remote methods of engagement.

Throughout the project we have been working with local people to find out what elements of the temporary measures are working well and what improvements can be incorporated into a design for a permanent pocket park on Craigie. We also sought feedback on ideas for other spaces along Albert Street including minor road crossings, shopfront shutters and Langlands Street alleyway.

To develop our initial design ideas for the area, we reviewed previous consultations, including the Craigie Street Pocket Park Consultation by Stobswell Forum and the engagement work carried out by UNESCO City of Design Dundee. We also visited the area and looked at how people move around Albert Street, how they use the public space on Albert Street and what some of the locals have to say about it. From this research we found lots of things that people like about the area:

• Many amenities, greenspaces, and landmarks in the area
• Lots of independent shops on Albert Street
• Potential for a vibrant sense of community
• The rich local history of the area
• Friendly people

We also found that there are several improvements that local people want to see:

• Functionality and use of the space (including places to play)
• Attractiveness (including greenery, and vibrant colour and artwork)
• Seating
• Safety/anti-social activity
• Improved accessibility
• A better place for pedestrians
• Traffic volume on Albert Street

These themes have been echoed by the community throughout the project as we've gathered feedback on the design ideas we've been developing. The word cloud below shows the themes from the final phase of consultation on the draft designs.

Find out how you can  get involved .

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