Ward Forum fervour and Nairn Partnership passion!

It was a remarkable evening upstairs in the Courthouse and the Gurnmeister hopes he can do justice to what passed earlier, however keep that forty pence in your pocket for Monday evening/Tuesday morning beacause the local paper was, as usual, there to record the proceedings. Hopefully a fuller description of events will emerge on the Gurn in the morning but Water Lane events are unfolding at great speed and we have more material to publish and they will take precedence, I know the web is supposed to be a 24/7 resource but please be patient.

What was the the most startling part of the evening then? Sheena Baker and her list of Common Good Fund questions (the Gurnmeister must look at his notes but it seems that William Gilfillan is already investigating legal implications of some of them)? Iain Fairweather with his stats that point out that it has been a good tourist season so far - as good as the mid-90's in fact? Was it Rosemary Machen-Young who called for a 200 strong group of Nairnites to just go out and clean up the Regal, regardless of what Somerfield or anyone else might think or try and do to stop it? Was it the Inquisition of River CC's Margaret MacKintosh who relentlessly and succinctly asked Malcolm MacLeod of HC (he was presenting the Highland Development Plan Scheme) why we have to build on perfectly good arable land? Was it our indefatigable gaffer Sandy Park who indicated that people had to get involved because previous consultations could have been held in a telephone box on the High Street? Sandy that was a good point, top man! You are right, it's down to the citizens to participate.

It's hard to articulate really, you should have been there to see it for yourself, perhaps eventually they will webcast this too. The main point is perhaps, that we get a chance to input into the new development plan for the Highlands and the process has been promised to be open and transparent. Let's take them at their word Gurnites, as they say themselves we have to learn from the past. If we think the A96 Corridor Master Plan is the cause of all our woes for example, let's get involved on mass and chuck out what we don't want - let's develop planet Nairnshire in the style we want and not anyone else. If it's really a new planning world then let's make it ours. Make your views heard Gurnites. More on this tomorrow if time permits and keep up to date over on the APT blog too.

PS Gurnmeister opinion on Cawdor Delnies plan below