Gurn opinion: What part of "No" do Highland Council planners not understand? It's an important day for Nairn on Wednesday at 10.30 in the Courthouse. Will the Nairnshire Area Committee stand up to the planners again or will they allow their "consultation" to go ahead? If they cave in the principle of development at Nairn South will be accepted. Please read the following and if you can get yourself down to the Courthouse on Wednesday morning to lobby Councillors Michael Green, Stephen Fuller, Liz MacDonald and Laurie Fraser please do so. Will Nairn South finally be consigned to the bin, thus enabling the community to move on and agree sensible development elsewhere (such as the Common Good Land at Sandown where the community could control all aspects of the site) or will Nairn get well and truly stuffed? Is it to be real "Localism" or more of the same and control from Highland Council planners?
Regular readers will recall this article from January "Born again Nairnshire Committee stands up to Planning Department’s Nairn South Sledgehammer"
Regular readers will recall this article from January "Born again Nairnshire Committee stands up to Planning Department’s Nairn South Sledgehammer"
At the time Michael Green said: "“To sum this up Nairn said no, the PIE committee said no, the reporter said no and I’m pretty sure the man from Del Monte would probably say no. "
Well it looks like the Highland Council bureacrats have sent it back to the new area committee again and this is the item for the agenda. Will Michael, Liz, Stephen and Laurie tell them once again where to go or will the planners get their way this time round?
"6. Future Development in Nairn
Leasachadh san Àm ri Teachd ann an Inbhir Narann
There is circulated Report No N/10/16 dated 8 April 2016 by the Director of Development and Infrastructure which presents background evidence for future development proposals in Nairn and more detailed transport analysis to inform the preparation of a revised draft masterplan for the Nairn South development. The Delivery Strategy for Nairn confirms the capacity of local services and infrastructure to accommodate development across the wider town and outlines the current status of sites allocated in the Development Plan. Alongside, a Draft Transport Appraisal has been prepared which sets out the transport mitigation requirements for development of the Nairn South site. The Transport Appraisal is presented for approval for consultation to allow any comments to be considered. Members are also asked to agree how to proceed with a new Nairn South Masterplan following the recommendations of the Examination Report to the Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan.
The Committee is invited to:-
i. provide any feedback on the Delivery Strategy for Nairn;
ii. note and agree the Transport Appraisal summary document enclosed at Appendix A and agree to make it available for public comment; and
iii. agree to prepare a new Draft Nairn South Masterplan for public consultation as outlined in section 4 of this report"
Serious students of these matters might like to read the full document going before the Nairnshire Committee which details the Transport Appraisal and shows drawings of what would happen to the Cawdor and Balblair Roads. Go to this Highland Council page and click on item six to download the full document
It looks like traffic lights for the Station Brae folks and if you look in the documents you will find drawing indicating that Balblair Road is to become a largely single track Road, the Highland Council document states:
""1.1.4 Cawdor Road/Balblair Road junction and Nairn Station Railway Bridge Traffic signal control of the junction provides traffic management over this section of Cawdor Road - and is required from the outset. This includes advanced stop lines for cyclists on all three approaches. Footway width provisionshall be 2.0m below the arch bridge widening to 2.3m either side. A pedestrian phase is required within the traffic signal sequencing. Pedestrian storage provision adjacent to the rail station steps is also required as indicated in Drawing 60446943-SKE-C-102 in Appendix A. This also allows for a right turning refuse vehicle from Balblair Road to Cawdor Road south."
It looks like traffic lights for the Station Brae folks and if you look in the documents you will find drawing indicating that Balblair Road is to become a largely single track Road, the Highland Council document states:
""1.1.4 Cawdor Road/Balblair Road junction and Nairn Station Railway Bridge Traffic signal control of the junction provides traffic management over this section of Cawdor Road - and is required from the outset. This includes advanced stop lines for cyclists on all three approaches. Footway width provisionshall be 2.0m below the arch bridge widening to 2.3m either side. A pedestrian phase is required within the traffic signal sequencing. Pedestrian storage provision adjacent to the rail station steps is also required as indicated in Drawing 60446943-SKE-C-102 in Appendix A. This also allows for a right turning refuse vehicle from Balblair Road to Cawdor Road south."
Money, a lot of money to be made is at stake with Nairn South so it's more than likely that it'll be there to bite us until the powers that be finally cave and give permission
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed that developments along Lochloy Road continue to expand given the very limited access to the A96 but I'm sure it'll continue to be allowed to expand. It'll soon encroach on Auldearn
Planning is always a contentious issue, often is seems as though go aheads are given against all common sense
Councils and councillors seem keen to pass anything that will bring more houses into an area as that equals a greater income (council tax etc)
We've seen numerous lost chances in Nairn, the harbour comes to mind but there're many others
Nairn South will be built, just a a question of when
Brahan Seer
ReplyDeleteThere is A proverb that says reap what you sow.
AND THE PROTESTERS certainly sow the seeds for lights there. Remove the shaken as people keep saying is a danger in its self . Certainly widen the corner on the Balbrair road and the rest would of sorted it's self out. Protest AS much as they like waste more money. THEY WILL BE BUILT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
Get down there on Wednesday and demand that this is thrown out
ReplyDeleteHopefully this fudge will once again be rejected but I wont hold my breath. More traffic lights at Balblair Road and Waverley/A96 so more traffic delays. Small widening of the footpath is still not enough for pedestrians. Strain on sewage and the health service with a lot more people needing doctors and dentists so 3 weeks to an appointment will become 4 maybe?
ReplyDeleteMust be rejected again surely or else.
I presume the two folk above already have somewhere to live.
ReplyDeleteWhat do your readers want.
ReplyDeleteI have yet TO hear any one agree that what is on the brae at the moment is A good thing.It has been said on this blog how people think it is dangerous and accident waiting to happen.
But now there is a proposal to make the brae safer to use some of your readers don't want that. If it means lights then so be it but the safety of people must come first.
Even without Nairn South we probably still need traffic lights and the speed should be reduced. That road might have been okay in the 60 s when the traffic was less, but then some people decided to put the clinic and every other service up there.
ReplyDeleteThat narrow pavement all the way up the Brae is just an accident waiting to happen, just needs kids to be capering on the pavement and step off, motorists need to be very careful. Other than the A96 I think it's the most risky road in Nairn.
Hi folks something I wold like you to consider when making decisions tomorrow
ReplyDelete1 Nairn needs housing
2 homes will create foot fall on the high street something the town needs
3Houses will need maintenance which in turn create employment for people who will have to be paid
money that hopefully will be spent in nairn. Which will help other business to survive something you know is required.
The building of houses in its self will create work for all trades that would be involved.
Traffic on the brae may be of some concern but that is not the be all and end all for you to consider when you have to make your thoughts known
THANK YOU MURD