No fireworks in Nairn this year on November 4th as planned but other options discussed at Nairn West and Suburban CC meeting tonight

At the West and Suburban CC meeting in the Community Centre tonight it became clear that the proposed bonfire night including fireworks will not take place on the 4^th of next month. Lorraine Mallison said that the application for the event had to be in three months before the date and she said that she held up her hands and admitted that it hadn't happened. She cited the level of work involved in organising the event and personal circumstances meaning she hadn't been available.

It appears ongoing discussions are going ahead with the relevant department of Highland Council with a view to moving the event to Burns Night (January 25th 2018). The event would take place at the same venue.

Cllr Tom Heggie suggested that the Community Council seek appropriate legal advice as they may be vulnerable to challenge as they were changing the original purpose for which they had been raising funds.

Lorraine said that she had been doing that. She said it came from the community and it was their decision and they wanted the event to go ahead and we are just trying to fulfil that as best as we can but.

Laurie Fraser said that if you wanted to go ahead then your papers had to be in by Wednesday, he went on: “you will get no sympathy I think from the Council officials if they are not 100% correct. This has been going on for nearly two years now, my advice to you is leave it for one more year and have it next year.”

Laurie also suggested talking to the BID as they were looking to put on events and it could be that if you give them all the cash and the paperwork and they will do it all for you.  

Nairn Golf Club helps Football Club

The club is indebted to @NairnGolfClub for their recent assistance with pitch maintenance work at Station Park. Click on the link below for the full story:https://t.co/mA2tHvhmBP pic.twitter.com/7mJY0bZLj4

— Nairn County FC (@NairnCounty) 26 October 2018

Keeping your bones healthy - NHS Information Event - Nairn Dunbar Golf Club Friday 2nd November

Highland Greens against Council cludgie closures

Council should flush toilet plans, say Greens

Highlands and Islands Green MSP John Finnie and Badenoch and Strathspey Councillor Pippa Hadley have called for plans to close a host of public conveniences across the Highlands to be scrapped.

The Highland Council will debate a report recommending the closure of public toilets throughout the area today (25 Oct 2018).

The Scottish Green Party is opposed to these closures as;

· They present considerable public health and public decency concerns, which the council has failed to discuss with NHS Highland and Police Scotland.

· They will result in the loss of jobs, and the jobs of those who remain will be impacted. Furthermore the council has not yet consulted all the affected employees.

· While the report states that 90% of the population lives within 15 minutes of a publicly available toilet, this fails to take into account the needs of remote communities, popular tourist destinations and the long journeys required to access important services such as hospital appointments.

· The council’s equalities impact assessment identifies negative impacts for older people, people with disabilities and pregnant women.

For these reasons Councillor Hadley will oppose these proposals at the council meeting.

Commenting, Councillor Hadley said:

“The proposals to close a considerable number of public toilets in the Highlands would present considerable challenges for the communities affected. The plans fail to take account of remote and rural communities, they don’t consider the long journeys many have to make to access NHS services, and they completely discount any impact on tourism.

“The council’s equalities impact assessment also highlighted a number of significant negative impacts and it is important that these are adequately addressed, the report completely fails to do so and it is for these reasons that I will be opposing the plans.”

Mr Finnie added:

“It is galling that despite all that has been said, including in the Highland Council’s own equalities impact assessment, about the negative impact of these closures, the proposals are still being presented.

“The impact on jobs, with both redundancies and reorganisation expected, seem to have been largely overlooked, and the council has not yet engaged on a one to one basis with all the employees affected. This is a disgrace, and a complete abdication of responsibility from an organisation which should be setting an example to others in the region on good practice.

“Highland Council has made a complete mess of this whole sorry affair. It is quite staggering that the council didn’t, for instance, take tourism into account, given its huge importance to the economy of the region. I am pleased that the council has finally acknowledged some of its own ineptitude in this report. Councillors should go one step further and vote along with my colleague, Councillor Hadley, to reject this outrageous proposal.”

"Few people in Scotland ever have to confront Scotland’s unjust planning laws. When they do, however, they soon realise that the dice is firmly loaded in favour of big business and house builders with economic muscle.” Tom Devine

All those serious students of planning matters in Nairn will probably agree with much of what Tom Devine has to say about the Scottish Planning System. 

Why are they closing Lovat Lodge? - a personal message from one of the regular users of the facility

Many of you will have seen the article in the Nairnshire where Cllr Liz MacDonald has explained the situation with Lovat Lodge being financially unviable and having to close. We recevied an e-mail explaining how this closure will impact on lives of the regular visitors to Lovat Lodge.

Vera tells the Gurn:

"It is such a god send to many elderly and disabled people from all around who otherwise will never get a holiday again? My husband had a stroke (severe) and there really is no comparable place for us to take a holiday. He needs an adjustable bed and a carer to help get in and out of beds. Luckily Lovat allow a private carer to come and help.We were up there again a couple of weeks ago and it was so sad to see a few of the old ladies getting together to book their next trip in May to be told Lovat would probably be shutting after New Year. They were crying its a lovely place to go and meet up with pals and be very well fed and looked after. There really is nowhere else like it that I can find. Surely the people of Nairn don't want that either, we all spend money in Nairn when we visit a couple of times a year. I am maybe not getting in touch with right people but wanted to give our side of story to anyone who will listen."

More apple juice pressing in the Green Hive Community Orchard in Viewfield, plus the information board made by the Men's Shed is unveiled.

Great craic in Viewfield today at the apple event. The pictures and the video below tell the story. 

Individual images here

Good turnout for anti-development protest at Culloden Battlefield

A good turnout for the  GSDC (Group To Stop Development At Culloden) protest earlier today, Speakers criticised the developers, Historical Environment Scotland and also the Scottish Government. They want intervention from Holyrood to stop other applicaitons now in the planning system.  A protest camp has been established close to the site. 

More pictures here. 

Fancy getting juiced up again - Green Hive Apple Day event Viewfield Sunday 21st October from 1pm

A chance to blether about all things apple. Last time it was great craic and looked like this. 

Nairn Yessers at Edinburgh Independence rally

A large contingent from Yes Nairn were at the AUOB (All Under One Banner) rally in Edinburgh on Saturday (6th of October 2018). These images from one of our regular readers of the Yes Nairn meet-up outside the Usher Hall. Click on images to enlarge.

Scottish Water starts work to renew water main in Moss-side Road, Nairn

Scottish Water Press Release 

Scottish Water has started work to renew just over 1 kilometre of water main that serves customers in the vicinity of Moss-side Road in Nairn.

In May, the utility announced that it was prioritising the replacement of the length of 6 inch water main following deterioration in its performance. 

Scottish Water’s project team has completed the planning process and engagement with Highland Council is ongoing about arrangements to allow work in the road to take place safely. The replacement of the water main is expected to take around 6 months to complete.

Gavin Steel, of Scottish Water, said:

“The work beginning in Moss-side Road is necessary to ensure we can provide a reliable water supply to our customers in the surrounding areas of the town. We are grateful to Highland Council and our contractor for working with us over the summer so that we could be ready to start on site this autumn.

“Whenever bursts occur on our water network, our local operational teams aim to respond rapidly to restore supply to our customers and complete repairs. While targeted repairs and other measures can often achieve a return to reliable service, we keep the performance of water mains under regular review so that we can target wider investment where it is most needed. 

“I would like to apologise to customers in the Moss-side Road area who have experienced disruption to their supplies as a result of bursts. We recognise that the replacement of the water main will cause some further disruption in the local area and our site team will work hard to keep this to a minimum. We would ask customers and road users to bear with us while we invest to improve their water network."

Temporary traffic lights will be used during much of the work to enable the excavation and replacement of the water main to take place safely. To allow connections to the existing network, , some residents will experience a brief interruption to their water supply. Scottish Water will notify affected residents at least 48 hours in advance with details of the arrangements and advice on what to do.

Customers who need additional support or further information can contact Scottish Water on 0800 077 8778, quoting reference Capital - 503264.

LGOWIT Boccia tournament - cup returns to Nairn

More about the LGOWIT organisation here. 

Narin CAB warning - HMRC scammers are targeting Nairn district phone numbers