Sustainable development –Directed study task 23/09/16
The Urban Environment
Physical Characteristics
In my local area, there are many varied buildings. There is a good mix between recent builds and much older structure. For example, my old primary school is now a listed building. However, the new primary school has only been open for the past 7 or 8 years. Some of the most historical structures in Galston include Loudoun Castle, Barr castle, Cessnock Castle, and Galston Parrish Church. Galston consists of residential areas, as well as public and business areas which all combine to form the town. The roads throughout Galston all expand from the church at the centre of the town, and branch out towards other nearby towns and communities. Although Galston is a somewhat small town, there are many green areas surrounding it. Within the town there are around 2 or 3 parks, a running track, paths through the forest and a road which is known by locals as the “Old Lane”. This used to be a railway track, but was covered over and converted to a path through the countryside where you could walk, run or cycle. It also connects Galston to the next town over, Hurlford while avoiding any main busy roads. Recently it has been dubbed “the Chris Hoy Cycleway”.
Barr Castle
http://www.drookitagain.co.uk/coppermine/displayimage.php?pid=2881
Transport
As like in most places, there are several buses that pass through Galston, making travelling a little easier for those who do not drive. There are a few bus stops in the centre of town, and a couple of bus stops at the top of the town where I live. This is convenient for many people, as they do not need to walk right into town to get a bus. These buses either take us to Kilmarnock (where the bus station is situated), or else they take us through Newmilns to Darvel or Priestland. The buses a big convenience to many people in town, no matter what age. Although they make life a lot easier for most people, there can be complications. From my own experience, I know that the buses can be unreliable at times, meaning they do not show up at the specified time, or at all in a couple of cases. The other problems that arise consist of overcrowding at peak times, varying prices of tickets and occasionally rude drivers.
As well as buses, there are a lot of cars for such a small town. This causes problems on the road, and also impacts public transport at times. Because of the cars to parking spaces ratio, this usually results in cars parking on the road, meaning the roads become narrower and harder to manoeuvre cars and buses through the streets. This may be due to the fact that there is more than one car per household and that they might not have anywhere else to park.
Community Spaces
Throughout Galston, there are many spaces and centres available for public use in the community. As the local secondary school is situated in Galston, the locals have access to the activity suites included in the school. These involve the use of the swimming pool at selected times, access to the gym and all of the equipment and they gym halls which include a basketball court. Outside the school, there are also running tracks, hockey pitches and both football and rugby pitches. As well as the school facilities available to the public, there are also several halls which are free to use, such as the Mission Hall, which is used for the local Boys Brigade meetings. There is also the Community Centre, which is used for most group activities or meetings, such as dance groups, Slimming world meetings, and in the past was used for nursery classes. Now, however, the new primary school shares the building with the nursery classes. There is also a church in the centre of Galston, which is used every Sunday, as well as services throughout the week.
Community centre
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4205635
Industry and Work
There are many work opportunities in my town. Retail shops such as A.M. Christies and Balmoral Mill are known for their clothes, and small businesses such as Browning’s and “The Wee Shop” are popular at lunch times for the local people to grab a bite to eat. There are also a few supermarkets situated in Galston, namely Tesco and The Co-op. These big stores are crucial to the people living in Galston, as this is where most of them do their weekly shopping, especially if they cannot make it into town. In Tesco, there is a fishmongers and a clothing section, as well as fresh fruit and vegetables, therefore is an ideal industry to be placed in a small town such as Galston. In addition to these local industries, there is a small newsagent who deliver the paper to those who require it. There is a small police station near the middle of Galston, as well as a surgery and a clinic for the district nurses. These offer care to those who need it such as health education, referral to experts when required and monitoring long term conditions.
Recreation Centres
As previously stated there are a couple of gyms situated in Galston, these being in the local secondary school, and a residential gym in town. The swimming pool that is located in the secondary school is also used by the local public, as well as the Primary 7’s from the neighbouring primary school for swimming lessons.
Population Density
The population of Galston, as stated by the East Ayrshire Council in the Census (2001) was estimated at 5,000 people. In 2004, the population was recorded as 4,931. However, in 2008, it was reported that the population had dropped to 4,674 people.
Air Quality
On Monday 26th September 2016, it was stated that the air quality in Galston was estimated at low in most pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
