Nairn Town Centre Action Plan now called “Nairn Community Town Centre Plan”

“In response to the consultation, the Plan title has been changed to Nairn Community Town Centre Plan,” says a report going before councillors at tomorrow’s meeting of the Nairn Badenoch and Strathspey area committee. The plan lists new issues and actions after the latest round of consultations. It runs to 28 pages and has lots of suggestions as to how things could move forward and has links to sources of potential funding and support.

Hopefully the word "action" was left out for reason of brevity alone (it does reappear elsewhere though). A couple of paragraphs bounce out at this observer on the first look at this plan.

One of them states:

"Although the current economic climate makes it more difficult to deliver many of the plan’s proposals, this document is important as it will put the town in a strong position to compete for funding opportunities that arise. It also enables community groups to lead the regeneration of the town centre, working closely with public sector partners and land owners."

And indeed a “partnership approach” is the way forward it seems. The report states: 

“Successful delivery of Town Centre proposals is likely to involve collaborative action on the part of a wide range of stakeholders, including local community groups, property owners, Council Services, Elected Members and public sector organisations such as HIE and Visit Scotland.”

In the usual modus operandi and language of the Area Committee the officials recommend:

“Recommendation The Committee is invited to:

 • note that the Nairn Community Town Centre Action Plan at Appendix A reflects shared priorities for the future of the town centre, in particular projects that could be delivered should funding opportunities arise;

 • agree that the Plan becomes non-statutory planning guidance and is treated as a material consideration in determining planning applications; and

 • note the comments received during the Nairn Town Centre Action Plan consultation and agree to the recommended Council responses presented in Appendices B and C.”

Gurnites who wish to read a copy of the plan need to go to the page on the Highland Council’s website that gives you the details of the Area Committee’s agenda and then click on item 8 to download a PDF containing the information going before the councillors and also a copy of the Community Town Centre Plan.