Village swallowed up in commuterland

ON A quiet Monday morning in John Street, Penicuik, 72-year-old Marion Brown is talking about how this Midlothian town of 25,000 people has changed. "It used to be that people worked in Penicuik and lived here too," she says. "Now they just sleep here."

Penicuik is one of the main commuter dormitories in the Edinburgh area. Yet while the population has increased in recent years, the sense of community appears to have declined.

"It's almost too near to Edinburgh," says Mrs Brown. "The big supermarkets have taken over and a lot of local shops closed because they can't compete."

Mary Fernandez, 71, moved from Plymouth to Penicuik with her husband, Hector, 40 years ago and has witnessed enormous changes in that time.

"Penicuik was more like a village in those days," she says. "But now it's extended so much because of all the houses that have been built. One of the effects has been that a lot of young people come in from the outlying areas and create havoc."

Not everyone agrees with this grim assessment. Alisia Hynes, 29, moved to Penicuik from Edinburgh with her partner and baby son eight months ago - and likes it. "There are good schools here and a sense of community," she says. "We wanted to bring our child up in a house rather than a flat. We looked at places in the outskirts of Edinburgh but they were too expensive, so we ended up in Penicuik. People know each other here. They say hello in the street and you know your neighbours. It's quite a contrast from Edinburgh."

Retired accountant John Smith, 66, agrees, to an extent: "It's a good town to live in, but it is intimidating to go out at night."

The problem of antisocial behaviour by young people was also highlighted by Robert Callan, 66, a retired maintenance electrician. Mr Callan, who worked at the nearby Bilston Glen coal mine for more than 26 years before it closed in the late 1980s, says: "You can't really walk through this precinct late at night because you get so much abuse from the youngsters. The local police station shuts at 6pm, which means you have to phone Dalkeith, but by the time they get here the youngsters are all away home in their beds."

But Cathy McGill, 25, a support worker at the local YMCA, says the young people's behaviour could partly be explained by the fact that there was very little for them to do. "There isn't much in the way of facilities for the young people, so they go about vandalising things because they're bored," she says. "But I know it can be quite frightening for the older people."

Miss McGill believes Midlothian Council's decision not to operate the Queensway and Ladywood leisure centres in Penicuik threatened to exacerbate the problem. The council insists that the new £10 million Penicuik Centre, which will include a swimming pool, library and leisure centre, will ensure people have more, not fewer, facilities. Nevertheless, a campaign has been mounted to reverse the council's plans.

Grant Deans, 22, is concerned. "There have been protests and petitions about it. I go to the gym at the Queensway and I'm worried about what's happening."

There is a military presence in Penicuik thanks to the Glencorse Barracks - home of the Royal Highland Fusiliers - and soldiers are a regular sight.

Brian Strathern, 21, who has been in the army for five and a half years, stopped to talk while out buying his lunch. "I'm very proud to be Scottish," he says. "It'd be great to see total independence in the country."

Political views vary, with opinion on whether or not Scotland should break away from the rest of the UK split. Ian Watson, 54, was brought up in New Zealand and spent time in Sweden, but has lived in Scotland for almost 20 years. Having experienced other small, independent nations, he has no doubts that Scotland could go it alone.

He says: "If Scotland was independent, I think its voice would be heard more easily on the international stage than it is as a region of the UK. Scotland was a very different place 300 years ago and in the 21st century, I think it makes more sense for the country to be independent."

Alexis Robertson, 66, from Edinburgh, was visiting her daughter, Debbie, who lives in Penicuik. She says: "I love Scotland, but I don't want to go independent. I think we would be worse off." Lizzie Reid, 44, also loves Scotland - but as soon as her daughter goes to university, says she will leave Penicuik: "It's changed a lot in the 14 years I've been here. I'm hoping to move somewhere quieter up north."

David Horton, 67, a car park attendant, moved from Bournemouth to Penicuik, where his wife was from, in 1979. He agrees there has been change, but not necessarily for the worse: "Penicuik has its problems; so do a lot of small towns. I don't think it's as bad as some. I doubt we'll move, we're happy and settled here."

Marion Ogilvie, 64, a retired chef, agrees. "Where I live on the outskirts of the town I can keep my door open until ten at night. I think I'm very lucky."

• TOMORROW: The Scotsman van is in Cumbernauld. Meet staff at the Cumbernauld Centre from 11:30am-2:30pm.

Voice of the people on what it means to be Scottish

"I love Scotland. Everyone is very friendly and helpful."

Mary Fernandez, 71, Penicuik.

"Everything is great about Scotland - apart from the weather."

Alexis Robertson, 66, Edinburgh.

"Independence does seem to be the most obvious and easy way of allowing Scotland to fulfil its potential. It's a small but very special country."

Ian Watson, 55, Penicuik.

"Scotland is the only country to live in. We should have independence. This is God's country. I'd love to see independence in my life."

Marion Ogilvie, retired chef, Loanhead.

"Sometimes I'm in favour of independence, other times I change my mind. I'd like to think we'd be more prosperous."

Jean Slater, 54, Penicuik.

"I feel more resources should be based here for the people, rather than down south. I think Scots get a raw deal. We don't get enough of a say in what we do."

Alisia Hynes, 29, chemist.

"If I go abroad, I'm always happy to come home."

Marion Brown, 72, retired.

"I think Scotland should be independent - I don't see why Westminster should be telling us what to do."

Tommy Thornton, Dalkeith.