Speaking last week at the regular meeting of Suburban Community Council, Dick Youngson told the meeting that he had attended a pre-charette meeting with the four Highland Councillors, reps from the CCs, planners and folk from the business and tourism sectors in the town. He said that an effort would be meed to get more feedback for the initiative that will hopefully lead to regeneration and change in the centre of Nairn. He said:
"The area is the centre of Nairn, which can start at the harbour and southwards to the railway station but not crossing the railway line. The previous report two years ago was a little bit more restricted it stuck with the Gordon Street, High Street, a little bit of, or most of Leopold Street, King Street and that was really a very narrow square. It really didn't cross King Street and go into viewfield and it didn't go further south along Cawdor Roa and past the Academy Square perhaps to the station.
We feel that it is up to all of us here to feed in information of what we think is the centre of Nairn. [...] We hope in the future actually to follow that with a series of projects all linked to it and all part of the regeneration of Nairn as the 2nd largest town in the Highland Region. This is really to improve everything: to make tourism better, to make our lives better, to make the High Street better, to make it look more colourful and attractive to tourists." More information on the charrette here.
Lets ban cars and plant trees
ReplyDeleteopen a shop and call it trees,,there,l be a branch near you
ReplyDeleteI was looking at the flats at the bus station. There they are proud as punch perched on any opening they can find..'.the Seagulls' Surely after all the noise about them being there the contractors will put some kind of deterrent on the roof. It would be terrible to live there if they are not kept at bay.
ReplyDeleteInside the community centre you can hear the terrible noise they make, can't imagine what it would be like to live beneath that din all day long.
I hope that area is not going to return to its awful state.
The Scottish Government received a report in September 2012 to take forward a national review of town centres. I highlight a couple of key points coming out of that report
ReplyDeleteALL public bodies should be required to consider and audit a public right of access
to public services. HAS THIS BEEN DONE FOR NAIRN?
A Community Estate Agency, where professionals and local groups can collaborate
to identify people and partnerships, and suitable properties from a “TOWN CENTRE ASSET AUDIT”; and development trusts or other appropriate models can provide support capacity, and draw down seedcorn funding, to evolve business plans and identify funding. Has the TCAA been undertaken? Is NICE the mechanism for the community estate agency?
Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister of Scotland is quoted in the report “We want to take every measure possible to ensure our town centres are vibrant places”. In my view this means substantial funding must be given to the organisation recognised as the COMMUNITY ESTATE AGENCY. Deputy First Minister I urge you to take every measure you can and ensure money is committed from the BIG LOTTERY (Scottish Land Fund) for NAIRN COMMUNITY ESTATE AGENCY in advance of the forthcoming charette.
@ Town Centre First
ReplyDeleteDo you have a link to that document please?
Dear Graisg,
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/regeneration/town-centres/review/EnterpriseinScotlandsTownCentres
Thank you for that, there are many serious students of these matters in Gurnshire who might be inclined to browse further
ReplyDelete@ Town Centre First and @Graisg
ReplyDeleteThe report about which you have been exchanging comments is in fact generally known as the "Malcolm Fraser Report" after the distinguished architect who chaired the review group.
That report was first flagged up in the Gurn on 4 Jan 2013 and followed up in another Gurn post on 21 Sept 2013 when the report was published. The full text is available as a downloadable PDF from the Scottish Government website link already provided.
It has a lot of sensible, practical ideas in it, and more than 20 recommendations and Key Actions - of which the "Community Estate Agency" idea is only one. Many of the other proposals in the report are equally, if not more relevant to the future planning of Nairn town centre.
Highland Council officials and Councillors have said they accept and endorse the Malcolm Fraser review. The forthcoming charrette will be an opportunity to see whether they mean what they say and are capable of applying the new approach which the review recommends.
Big Lottery funding for Highland Community Groups.
ReplyDeleteWest Glenmoriston Community Company has received £95,360 towards buying the former school in Dalchreichart, which it plans to turn into a community hub.
What is happening about the NAIRN community hub?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-26135990