People who live in Alva are blessed with beautiful natural surroundings, for example, the hills and glen, the Johnstone and Cochrane Parks as well as the Woodland Park. 
However, many people in the Hillfoots town were ashamed of the town centre as documented in the 2015 Alva Community Action Plan Consultation Report produced by Alva Community Action Plan Group, known as the CAPLan Group; which is a sub-group of the Community Council. 


Around the same time as the report there was a Scottish Government initiative providing funding to Local Authorities for ‘Village and Small Town Initiatives’.  In due course Clackmannanshire Council secured £650,000 for the Alva project but this was increased thanks to funding from other sources. Sustrans provided a significant funding contribution that has brought Alva town centre back to life for the foreseeable future.

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From 2018 the CAPLan Group and officers from Clackmannanshire Council worked together to come up with proposals for the Alva Regeneration project and presented them to the Alva community over a 3 day drop-in consultation in February 2019.  
Around 650 people called in over 3 days, to see the proposals and gave ideas, opinions and suggestions for improvements either on post-it notes or by completing a Place Standard questionnaire or both.   These were used to support alterations to the design prior to a feedback drop-in session in May 2019 and were critical in forming the final design for the street.


The COVID-19 Pandemic restrictions prevented expected progress but works to create a town centre that the community will want to use and tourists will want to visit commenced on 12 April 2021. Unfortunately, there were further delays getting materials post-covid so works took longer than expected.

 

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The CAPLan Group are delighted that works are more or less complete and include speed tables designed to slow traffic on the approach to the town centre at the Queen Street, Cobden Street and Brook Street junctions with each incorporating a traffic light pedestrian crossing to replace the one outside the Co-op.   Town Centre pavements and lampposts have been replaced and there is new street furniture including bus shelters, hanging basket columns, tree and flower planters, seating, Community Council notice board, etc. 


The CAPLan Group wish to extend a huge thank you to locals and particularly business owners in the town centre for their patience as the works progressed.

 

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We hope the improvements will inspire property owners in the town centre to spruce up their property as one or two are crying out for some TLC.


As well as having a town centre to be proud of locals will benefit when further upgrades through the parks and other links to the main street are undertaken under Clackmannanshire Council’s next phase known as ‘Alva Connectivity’.

Alva Glen is a local beauty spot, accessed from Brook Street, Alva. The lower glen is a community space where people walk along the many paths, enjoy waterfalls and sculptures and are entertained at community events such as the Alva Glen Illuminations, held on the second Sunday of September every 2 years.  

The upper glen begins with an impressive gorge, dripping with ferns and mosses, which leads to a zig zag path up to a viewpoint above smugglers cave, then on to the Ochil Hills.

Entry to Alva Glen is free. Donations can be made at the crowd funder on GoFundMe:  https://www.gofundme.com/manage/aght-illuminate-alva-glen

 

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Alva Glen Heritage Trust runs sessions for volunteers to do practical work in the Glen on the first Sunday of every month (except January). We meet in the Alva Glen car park at 10am, work till 12, then have cakes afterwards. All welcome, just turn up wearing sturdy shoes. 

We’re recruiting trustees! There are roles for co-leading the monthly work sessions, for looking after our volunteers, for leading on our engagement with schools & other local groups and for the role of treasurer. We meet every 6 weeks or so, more frequently in the run up to major events.

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Alva Glen Heritage Trust is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation; charity number SC036610. The trust constitution and latest accounts can be viewed on the website - https://www.alvaglen.org.uk/about .

Contact the trust on alvaglenht@gmail.com with any ideas or queries.  

For more information go to:  

https://www.alvaglen.org.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/AlvaGlenHT/

https://www.instagram.com/alvaglenheritagetrust/

https://twitter.com/alva_glen -