Paddling Pool no more? Could an iconic part of Nairn’s seafront go after play-park consultation?

At the West Community Council meeting although time was limited there was quite a lot of discussion about play areas 

Graham Kerr of the Westies gave a report on a recent meeting with representatives of the group in Ardersier that achieved a massive upgrade of the children’s play area facilities in the village. He said:

“The meeting was all about Ardersier’s effort that they put in to get the playpark. Ardersier is two hundred thousand from the Big Lottery to get their playpark up. I think something in the region of 150 was for equipment and the other was for fees and consultations that they’ve done.[...] Their approach was that they’ve done a lot of hard work in the area they have to raise awareness for the project and to get everybody on board and then they have gone through the somewhat arduous task of filling in all the forms, agreeing with the people that were supplying the forms [...] but they just persevered, persevered. What they have ended up with is a very successful play park.”

Graham added that, in Nairn, individual areas of the town would have to do it for themselves but “that it seems the funding is available so long as you go about it in the right way.”

Cllr Liz MacDonald then added:

“Yes I was present as well and the Ardersier group was a group of parents supported by Kate MacLennan the tenant participation officer and he agreed the playground, the principal officer. It took them two years to get them from a having a playground of falling down equipment to their brand, spanking new playground. And I think that the outcome from that consultation meeting was, as well, that there is a group of parents who are prepared, I think it is about twelve parents, who are prepared to get involved in driving forward playground improvements for Nairn; and I think their proposals were for the Links and for the Riverside. [...]

But actually during that meeting when I was speaking to the parents one of them said about the paddling pool and that is the paddling pool good value for money. We know that next year it is going to need substantial money to improve it or would it be better to have equipment in that location that parents could use 365 days a year?”

Liz then held up a large glossy drawing that showed various angles of what the paddling pool area might look like if it were substituted with equipment. She continued: “And I found this in a report that shows you the paddling pool and having the equipment in it rather than...now this is not a proposal, this is just suggestions about what could go in where the paddling pool is and one of them is a big sort of tower with things on it. I just thought, it’s worth flagging that up that the parents that were there were saying well, how good value is the paddling pool and could we have something better there that we could use 365 days of the year.”

Rosemary Young the Chair of the West CC said:

“I think it is a pretty good idea to do that because the one thing that I notice when I’ve been down there when they put the net down and everything; the seagulls come straight in there and sit there, there must be poo going into the water. I’m just thinking it’s not very sanitary [...]”

Liz then said: “I think what we must do is have a consultation on it and be totally open about how much the cost to be to fix the paddling pool and what we could have as an alternative because I know there is a lot of historical attachment to the paddling pool, we’re one of the last ones in Scotland but at the same time the parents are saying let’s give us something we can use all year round.”

Brian Stewart, Secretary of the Westies, then said:

“It’s absolutely right to have a wide range of parents involved but it is perhaps also worth bearing in mind that at least on present evidence the paddling pool, like the Links Tea Room, are heavily used in the summer by tourists and visitors and in any process of policy making or consultation, it hasn’t got to be decided only by a group of local parents. I think it is right to include in the mix (we can’t invite a bunch of tourists to come and join the steering group because, by definition, they are only here temporary) but I think as policy makers, those concerned do need to factor in the tourism function as well as the facility for local residents because it is a part of Nairn’s tourism offering.”