A three-day planning event took place in Tranent, as members of the community discussed improvements to the town centre.

A charrette, or period of design and planning, was held between Thursday and Saturday last week, with locals invited to attend a number of drop-in sessions.

One of the sessions, held last Thursday at The Fraser Centre, was well-attended, and included a presentation from pupils at Ross High School.

Kevin Murray, of Kevin Murray Associates, who led the charrette, said: “This morning [Thursday] we were out on the streets talking about the history of Tranent and the surrounding area.

“We’ve come back [Thursday afternoon] and are discussing the good and bad points of the town, with a presentation from school pupils, looking at it from their point of view.” The charrette has been backed by members of Fa’side Area Partnership, and Tranent and Elphinstone Community Council (TECC).

Robert McNeill is a member of both groups, and he told the Courier: “It [the charrette] is very important to revitalise the town centre of Tranent and I think people would agree with that.” Mr Murray, who was speaking at The Fraser centre session last Thursday, was pleased to see all of the community getting involved and having their say.

“We’ve got kids here from about 10 [years old] to about 70-75-year-olds, and we’re hoping to get about 80 people coming along tonight,” he said.

Mr McNeill outlined what types of discussion had been taking place.

He said: “We’ve been talking about what to do with the area surrounding Tranent Infant School, a community area and the possibility of there being a hub that can be used, and the issue of town centre traffic.” To keep updated with the progress following the charrette, see @tranentch arrette on Twitter, using the hashtag #wearetranent to follow the discussion.