A third of Darvel's households had their say on the town's future

When Darvel set out to write its own five-year plan, the town did not do things by halves. More than 500 households returned a community views survey, and nearly 300 people turned up to a Community Futures Event to help decide what should happen next.
The Darvel Community Action Plan 2014–2019 was built on one of the most thorough consultations the Irvine Valley has seen. A local steering group, drawing together representatives from community organisations, businesses and interested residents, guided the work through 2013.
The process was wide-ranging. Every household in the town received a survey. Local businesses were asked for their views separately. Children at Darvel Primary School took part in their own survey, so the youngest residents had a voice too. Twelve stakeholder meetings and focus groups were held with local groups, businesses and support organisations, and a detailed community profile was compiled setting out the facts and figures about the town.
The numbers speak for themselves. Of around 1,500 houses in Darvel, 515 returned survey forms – a response rate of roughly one in three. Ten local businesses completed the business survey, and 295 people attended the Community Futures Event, where residents were asked to weigh up and rank the priorities that had emerged.
The steering group was clear about what that turnout meant. In the plan, they thanked everyone who took part and said the strong response gave real weight to the priorities identified.
The work was supported by the Vibrant Communities team at East Ayrshire Council, which worked alongside the steering group throughout. Specialist training, mentoring and support came from the STAR Development Group. Funding came through Ayrshire LEADER's Ayrshire 21 programme, part-financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community under the Ayrshire LEADER 2007–2013 Programme.
What came out of it was a plan organised around five themes: town centre regeneration and traffic; community facilities and activities; local economy and tourism; environment and heritage; and community safety, care and transport.
Crucially, the plan was not presented as a council document handed down to residents. The steering group described it as belonging to the whole community, jointly owned by every organisation and individual who took part in shaping it.
The plan described itself as a guide to what Darvel, as a community, would try to make happen over five years. It also acknowledged that its action list was an early guide that should be reviewed in the light of progress – a reminder that community plans are living documents, only as strong as the people who pick them up and carry them forwar