Tweeddale Access Panel

Tweeddale Access Panel meet in Peebles, once every two months, in the evening, in the Lounge of an extra care housing development, with excellent access and good parking.

We currently have eleven members, most of whom have a disability. Our membership includes the Chair of the local Visual Impairment Group, and three members of the Dementia Friendly Tweeddale management committee (one of whom is a Research Fellow and Senior Architect in the Centre for Environment, Dementia, and Ageing Research. University of Stirling. We usually have at least one, and sometimes two, Scottish Borders Councillors in attendance at our meetings, plus our British Sign Language interpreter.

 

In recent months, with funding from Scottish Borders Council, we have been carrying out street surveys, with assistance from David Hunter, Access Consultant, of major pedestrian routes in Innerleithen, Walkerburn, West Linton, Broughton and Eddleston, building on work we did previously in Peebles. Reports and photographs have been sent to the Council , identifying potholes, pavement obstructions, dropped kerb repairs, relocations or installations needed, as well as more major works we recommended.

 

Pre-Covid, we published an Access Guide to premises in Peebles and Innerleithen. This is now available on our website in an interactive form and includes the results of surveys of shops, cafes, pubs, hotels, etc. so people can look for hairdressers or gift shops, for example, and see how accessible the premises are. We hope to update these surveys, and to extend the number of towns and villages which they cover. We would like to extend the Guides to include a link to maps, showing all of the dropped kerb locations, disabled parking spaces and public toilets, and are liaising with the Council regarding how this might be done