Sandown, somewhere between 140-230 houses would be acceptable

That was the feeling up at the Suburban Community council's meeting in the academy tonight. 230 would be an absolute maximum if the feeling from the well-attended meeting was anything to go by. It was expressed from the public benches that this would enable houses to be built with sufficient internal and external living space.

It was excellent to see the ideas coming from the members of the public: proof, if any were needed, that the people of Nairn are full of ideas and ingenuity. There were calls for the community facility and wetland area to be 'de-coupled' from the planning project so as to enable the initiative to proceed without the hindrance of worrying what the present developers or any others would do in the future. Calls too for the land to be parcelled up into smaller areas and for a range of local firms to be invited to submit plans for each part of it. Another idea for a development to be built on state of the art renewable energy lines, an opportunity here to build a showcase project that would attract attention far beyond the Moray Firth. Gurnites, we are extremely lucky to live in a community that cares. Hopefully as we move closer to the day when the town has one community council to champion its values and aspirations, the creativity latent in our town will be unleashed to shape Nairn's future for the benefit of present and future generations.

It is obvious to the Gurnmeister that the Suburban Community Council is at the forefront of so much that is good for our community, well done Suburban Councillors.