Coffee’s community feeling

Hillington Park’s principal landlords and developers are planning a major incursion into the world of social networking – both through new media such as Facebook and Twitter, and also through the provision of ‘Coffee Hub’ meeting places throughout the estate.

The former is an almost inevitable recognition of the marketplace, where informal and digital social interaction is an increasingly preferred means of community ‘bonding‘.

The latter takes as its model the very successful experience of the Hillington Park Innovation Centre’s own chill-out area operated by Bocadillo on the first floor of the building off Ainslie Road.

Here, people from different resident organisations can interact with each other, and with external guests to compare experiences, problems and solutions over a latte and muffin – or even something more substantial!

Results of a recent ‘Sectorlight’ occupier survey at Hillington Park have inspired MEPC to study a range of ideas for encouraging social interaction, including coffee hubs. Other possibilities include urban gardens, beehives, a putting green, public wi-fi coverage throughout the estate and outside seating areas.

“Customer feedback is so important for how MEPC shapes its business. Our occupiers have told us they want more services and amenities which we will find ways to deliver,” says Grant Edmondson, managing director of MEPC Hillington Park.

“We will encourage community feeling in a wide variety of other ways that we will roll out over the coming months. And we would welcome any suggestions and ideas from Hillington people on how we can achieve these objectives.”

Watch this space for more developments. Contact: 0141 883 5760