The Declaration of Torry
Torry Peoples Assembly met for the second time at the end of May 2023, producing the following Declaration. click on the button to read it as a PDF.
Declaration of Torry Peoples’ Assembly St Fittick’s Park 28th May 2023
This is our land and no one else’s. This land belongs to those who care for it.
We've been suffering the destruction of our community. There was the demolition of much of Old Torry for the oil industry, then the landfill, then Nigg Bay was turned into an industrial harbour with its noise and light pollution. Now there’s the incinerator and the industrialisation of the Park.
They say they’ll only take a third of the Park, but that is just a third of what is left from what has already been taken. With half the Park being turned into an ‘opportunity zone’ for big business, we fear that – step by step - the Park is going to be destroyed. We’re not standing for this any more. We’re raising our voices. We’re fighting and kicking back, with passion and commitment.
We need real solutions to the crises caused by those who use the excuse of the climate or of joblessness to hammer us more. We need community owned projects that tackle the climate crisis and provide jobs. For example, we need to insulate all homes in Torry. This would provide long-term work, reduce emissions, reduce bills, improve energy security and improve health.
What is the problem? (as written on the Assembly’s Problem tree)
Recent history has seen large parts of Torry community heritage and health destroyed.
Many times we have been promised prosperity, jobs and community facilities in exchange for the dumping of developments on Torry that other parts of Aberdeen don’t want.
Many times we’ve experienced the demolition of homes, the destruction of our coastal and green spaces, the closure of our schools and facilities.
Many things that were promised never appeared at all. Meanwhile few if any jobs go to local people, and our community has been polluted, ruining our health.
They pretend to consult us and then do whatever they want. They don’t respect our community, our heritage, or our green spaces. They take a bit and then take more. We say no but are not listened to. The incinerator is a parasite sucking the life out of a community and burning it. How can you start a family where there’s an incinerator and over ten years lower life expectancy?
What does Torry need? (as written on the Assembly’s Solution tree)
We need control over our lives, so we can value our community, welcome newcomers, value our heritage, and look after each other. We need no more than any other community needs.
We need clean air, clean streets, good housing, affordable transport, healthy affordable food, local jobs, community ownership, safe places to play, good health, and a healthy environment.
We need accurate information, meaningful consultation, and - more than that - we need a strong voice, community power, and the motivation and hope to decide and make our future ourselves.
We need to make sure everyone in Aberdeen and beyond wants to save and cherish St Fittick’s Park, Doonie’s Farm, Greyhope Bay, the coast, and all our green spaces that are under threat, so that all our green spaces can help recover and reshape our relationship to our land.
We are in favour of useful change on brownfield sites, but not change that is damaging to the environment and the community. We need to create good, skilled, rewarding jobs and livelihoods here in Torry. We propose a community-owned project that could retrofit all the homes here. That could be a real alternative to current destructions labelled ‘development’.
This is the Highland Clearances all over again: rich outsiders taking community lands, aided by the authorities. If the green space, shoreline, trees and all are taken, you never get them back.
Nature should be valued more than corporate profit. The community should be valued more than corporate profit. Our land and our community belong to us, and we belong to it.
We need community health. We do not need land grabbing, dumping and pollution.
QUOTES FROM ASSEMBLY MEMBERS (as spoken in St Fittick’s Park, 27-28th May 2023):
“The Scottish Government said this Park is so important for health. But as soon as the harbour board and ETZ [Energy Transition Zone limited] want it, they give it to them.”
"An Energy Transition Zone should not start by concreting over a wetland ecosystem."
“Two years ago ETZ limited were invited to the first Peoples Assembly to tell us their plans, but said no. They said their plans weren’t ready. Then we asked them to present their plans to this assembly, but again they said their plans aren’t ready.”
“ETZ got £53 million from the UK and Scottish Governments. They’re getting permission to take a third of the Park, without actually saying what they are specifically going to do with it. If you went to the planning department and said you want to build an extension on your house, planning would ask to see your plans. Imagine you did what ETZ do, and said “The plans aren’t ready, but what I’m going to build is something really good”. What would Planning say? They keep the community in the dark about what they’re going to do until it is too late to object.”
“Torry gets dumped on. We get what others in Aberdeen don’t want. Would wealthy folk accept having an incinerator built by their kids’ primary school, would they accept having their green parks concreted over with industrial units? It wouldn’t be acceptable to concrete over a third of a park in the wealthy parts of Aberdeen. The working class didn’t create the climate crisis. Big business did; and now tries to profit from pushing false climate solutions.”
“The transition to a greener energy and economy has to be for everyone. It can’t be in one zone. We need it everywhere. To call this land grab an energy transition zone is marketing hype and rubbish. We are really angry that we’ve been selected yet again to sacrifice our space, heritage and nature for someone else’s money. We are made to feel we are responsible for Aberdeen’s thriving economy if this zone doesn’t go ahead, that’s a hell of a responsibility to put on this community. “If you don’t do this, Aberdeen will fall” - that’s the message we’ve been getting.”
“ETZ are weaponising anxieties about the North East economy and the climate crisis to force their plan on Torry. They argue there is no way to achieve this without taking community land, but this is a false choice. We also want a thriving economy in the North East, and a Just Transition to address the climate crisis. There are other ways to achieve these which don't cost us our health, subvert democracy and destroy cherished, biodiverse community land.”
“How could it even cross the minds of the council to impose this? Green spaces massively contribute to the health of the community. Life expectancy in Balnagask is 13 years less than the west end of Aberdeen, and a healthy life expectancy here is 20 or 25 years less.”
“This Park translates into peace of mind, less stress, better lung function, better blood pressure. We know this. The Scottish government say this. ETZ say they’ll only take a third of the Park. But this is just a third of what is left. There are huge polluting industries that have been encroaching here over the decades.”
“They could quickly and cheaply insulate homes here that need it. That would reduce emissions, reduce bills, help health, improve energy security and provide meaningful long-term work.”
ACTION THAT WE COMMIT TO TAKE, AND INVITE OTHERS TO JOIN US IN TAKING
The one thing we mustn’t sacrifice is our health and well-being, and to that end:
We will do everything to stop the land grab, protect our Park and green spaces, through legal and (if needed) direct action, as we continue to value, enhance and expand them
We will continue to use our Park and increase its already immeasurable value by organising more events and activities in it which support community health, educate our children, enrich all our lives, and help us connect with and care for the land
We demand the incinerator be decommissioned in line with Scottish Government’s 2022 moratorium, and we insist the council focuses on reducing waste, recycling and renewables
We will seek support to set up a Torry Retrofit Project to insulate homes, reduce bills and emissions, improve health and provide meaningful long-term work here
We insist on a just and fair energy transition, not ETZ’s obscure and unfair land-grab
We will strengthen collaboration within our community and with others in Scotland and beyond to collectively transform the system driving the social, political and climate crisis