What\’s Next for NRCC?

At our AGM on 13th January four members of the community council were elected as office bearers:
Hamish Bain, Chair
Peter Gibson, Deputy Chair
Veronica MacKinnon, Treasurer
Simon Noble, Secretary
There is much to do, particularly to organise how we represent our community, and how we communicate with you. We are currently exploring how we might develop our website so keep an eye out for changes here quite soon. 

Nairn Common Good consultation – Nairn Links Tearoom and Store

Public consultation is now open till 06 January 2021 – on proposals to dispose of two Nairn Common Good Assets 

1.the Links Tearoom  – new 30 year lease arrangement proposed  

2. the \’Store\’ former kiosk/shop on Links – proposed for demolition and landscaping (retain power supply)

These two properties are part of the Links which is a  Common Good Asset gifted to the people of  the Burgh of Nairn as part of its Royal Charter in 1586

A 12 week consultation period is required for any changes of use or disposals to Common Good Assets and all  residents of the former Royal Burgh of Nairn are entitled to have a say in these  proposals

Any changes or disposal to Common Good Assets such as these which are \’inalienable\’  will also require an application for formal consent from the Sheriff Court

Details of the consultation are below

Links Tearoom and Store – Common Good public consultation

Nairn River Community Council will be discussing a response with members and will post it here in due course.   For now Office Bearers are generally supportive of a longer lease to permit the current lease holder to invest in improvements to the Tearoom, but are open to public suggestions for alternative uses for the \’Store\’ rather than complete demolition and we will be seeking to clarify what is meant by proposed \’landscaping\’ if the building is removed

Please submit written representations to:-

Email: commongood@highland.gov.uk

Post: Sara Murdoch, Highland Council, Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5NX.


If you would also like to share comments or suggestions with Nairn River CC on this matter please post them below 

Nairn River CC Statutory Consultee submission re Cawdor House/Lavender Cafe ‘change of use’ Application

Nairn River Community Council have recently submitted a Statutory Consultee comment to the Planning portal, regarding a retrospective change of use Application by Cawdor House B and B, Cawdor Street, Nairn, who have been operating an outdoor cafe since July 2020.

This Application has attracted diverse public comments and strong views on either side.

To help us prepare a fair and balanced submission, two Nairn River CC Office Bearers visited the Applicant, and two of their Cawdor St neighbours, to see the location for ourselves, and to listen to local concerns about the new cafe operation.  We also discussed with Cawdor House proprietors some possible ways to address these concerns.

We then shared our findings with NRCC members and after securing majority agreement, posted a neutral submission( neither Object or Support) , which presented several suggestions for  Planners to consider, re ‘mitigating measures’ to reduce nuisance to neighbours.

Information about the original Cawdor House change of use Application and  public comments can be found on the Highland Council Planning Portal.  

Due to the volume of public comments, it was expected that  this Application would go before the South Planning Applications Committee(SPAC) for scrutiny, rather than being delegated to Planning Officers for decision.  In the event the application was withdrawn in November  2020.  A new ‘scaled down’ application was submitted in December 2020 to the SPAC, which our members voted to Support,   and was passed on 27th April 2021. 

More information here on the Highland Council Planning Portal

Have your say on Phone Boxes, Police Scotland, Pre Planning Consultation, Short Term Lets, Bathing Water signage – public consultations

Here is a list of public consultations open now to which  you can contribute  as a member of the public right now – with deadlines  where available.  Feel free also to feed back to Nairn River CC directly on any of these topics by 

1/adding your own comments to our blog below

2/send  an email to secretary@nairnrivercc.org or chair@nairnrivercc.org. or

3/ talk to your local community councillor. 

A full list of your local community councillors can be found on members page is on this website.

 You can also complete this survey over the phone by calling 07717 150 296 and leaving a message. A member of the survey team will then call you back.
  BT Payphone Consultation survey open till 10th October 2020  
 3 boxes under threat in Nairn town , High St(Castle Square), Moss Side and Fraser Park 
about how  developers consult the public before a development proposal  becomes a formal Application in the Planning system before  the Planning Committee.
Guidelines for how local authorities can develop local policies to manage and regulate short term and holiday lets in their area.  Includes proposal to register all properties being used for short term let. 
this  is the link to the main online portal where you can find all live planning applications.
Nairn River CC is in Nairn and Cawdor Ward
 link below to the most recent application which Nairn River have lodged a submission to as Statutory Consultee 

There is information on  about a dozen completed development related consultations on the Highland Council website at present – the only open one currently is the 
 COVID 19 Active Travel Network which SUSTRANS is leading on to promote walking and cycling.
We have posted own set of questions for locals on the above topics to help inform joint discussions between  Highland Council and local community groups to help get Nairn ready for 2021 tourist season
As such developments could mean changes to Common Good land ( Links, Maggot, Harbour), if any proposals go forward Highland Council will need to carry out formal consultation with the local community before any changes can be  implemented.( this is not it – as nothing is agreed yet!)  
To help inform what happens next, please feed back your views on initial questions above 
You can post comments on our blog, email us, or talk to your community councillor or Highland Councillor directly
Bathing Water Signage ( SEPA)  consultation open till 13 October 

Public Questions -parking and visitor facilities- to help Nairn Community groups work with Highland Council to improve 2021 tourist welcome

An online meeting was held on 1st September 2020 which brought together representatives of the two Nairn Community Councils ( Nairn River and Nairn West and Suburban) , BID and NICE ( Nairn\’s Community Development Trust) with 3 of Nairn\’s Highland Councillors and a number of Highland officers involved with transport and parking, policy, and improvement of tourist welcome facilities(eg toilets, campervans) across Highland.

For more information on  community groups \’Team Nairn\’ joined up approach to getting the best for Nairn  see our previous posting on Working Together for Nairn
(Aug 21 -comments are now closed here as we await an official Highland Council consultation in autumn 2021 on parking charges at Nairn seafront Common Good car parks which have been voluntary since June )

Update on Planning Application for 12 flats and CAB on King Street -request for Planning Committee site visit

 
 
Update 5th  Sept 2020
This article appeared in the Press and Journal on 27th August regarding proposed development of a newbuild block of 12 flats and new CAB in Nairn Town Centre
It confirmed that Highland Council(the applicant as well as the planning authority in this proposed development)  has already published tender documents for the building contracts
(which can be found here on the Scottish Public Contracts website portal)
 despite the application having not yet reached the South Planning Applications Committee table for scrutiny and decision.
 
In early August, and again today, Nairn River Community Council as Statutory Consultee, requested that Planning Officers  arrange a ‘site visit’ for members of the South Planning Application Committee to give them an opportunity to see for themselves how this proposed, newbuild would impact on Nairn’s Town Centre landscape and the existing local Masterplan, before they make their decision.  
We have asked Nairn’s elected members to support  this request, since the application is locally controversial and has undergone several changes, the most recent being revisions to parking layout on 19th August.
 

16 July 2020 

As advertised in last Tuesday’s Nairnshire Telegraph – a revised Planning Application has been submitted to Highland Council Planning department for a 3 storey newbuild  block on King Street, to provide  12 flats for social rent and new accommodation for Nairn’s CAB, on the site of the former Community Centre.
This is the third change of design and location in 2 years – the original plan being to renovate the former Police Station buildings, the second to demolish those buildings and build a new 3 storey block nearby on the site of the former Community Centre, while still claiming £195,000 funding from Scottish Government intended for regeneration of existing buildings, for this £3 million ‘newbuild’.
This 3rd revision proposes the same new building in a slightly altered location

If you  wish to comment on this Application – it is open for public consultation till 21st July
You can see this Application and post your views directly online on the Planning website here.

Highland Planning Website – 62 King Street Flats/CAB Application

Nairn River Community Council  has again submitted an Objection to this as Statutory Consultee
you can find this posted below

July2020NairnRiverCC objection 2000338/FUL KIngStreetCABFlats

As you will see  from our response we believe that this is still the wrong building in the wrong place, and incompatible with the priorities of the Nairn Community Town Centre Plan 2015 which were agreed with Highland Council in collaboration with Nairn residents and local community groups.
You can read the detail of this plan below.

Nairn Community Town Centre Plan 2015

The 3 priority themes were to
1/ Improve High Street environment and expand activities (including regeneration of upper floors for housing)
2/Make better use of area between King Street and High Street (including bringing old Police Buildings back into use)
3/Improve walking and cycling links between Nairn town centre and surroundings

In March 2020 Nairn River Community Council  submitted an Objection  to the previous Application for the newbuild flats and CAB, and opposed demolition of the former Police Station buildings.
We are glad to report that this demolition will not now go ahead, allowing scope for alternative proposals to repurpose these heritage buildings, as per the Town Centre Plan.
We also know of many underused and empty buildings in and around the High Street which could be used for social housing and to rehouse the CAB without building anything new.

As previously notified an outline bid for Regeneration funding has recently been submitted to the Scottish Government by NICE   with backing of the Highland Council, BID and the two Nairn town Community Councils, with a view to renovating the Old Police buildings for future community use. 
Other funding avenues are also being explored to regenerate our Town Centre and help Nairn’s local economy to recover at this crucial time.

 
 

Working Together for Nairn’s Regeneration and Economic Recovery

The two Nairn ‘town’ Community Councils (Nairn River, and West and Suburban)  have recentlyissued a joint press release to reaffirm their  commitment to working together with Nairn BID (Business Improvement District) and NICE (Nairn’s Community Enterprise Trust), Highland Council and other local community partners.
With 1 in 4 jobs in Nairn dependent on the tourist industry, the Nairn economy faces an uncertain future and there is an urgent need to work together to  retain and create Nairn jobs and to help Nairn businesses thrive and adapt in the new ‘post COVID’ world

Our current  priorities are to develop a joint plan for  economic recovery and to progress the regeneration of Nairn town centre.

Here is the press release issued in June 2020 by Nairn BID

This joint ‘community led’ approach has already worked well in getting the Links Development off the ground with work now underway, in partnership with Highland Council, to transform the old Paddling Pool into a modern ‘Splash Pad’ using funds from Team Hamish (with NICE support) and Nairn’s Common Good Fund.
Future phases of improvements round the Links area to fulfil the Team Hamish vision are  on the drawing board with more opportunities ahead for community input as they develop.

NICE has recently submitted a Regeneration Capital Grant Fund bid to the Scottish Government with backing from Highland Council, to redevelop the old Police Buildings and deliver on key aims of Nairn’s  Town Centre Plan agreed with community input in 2015.
NICE is also actively exploring with BID and other partners including Community Councils a range of other funding options (such as Community Asset Transfer) to help retain and develop Nairn’s Victorian heritage buildings and other assets for community, business and visitor use, and housing.

As these joint initiatives move forward we want to make sure that Local Community Councils are ‘at the table’, so that local residents are fully consulted to get the best for Nairn and Nairnshire.

Agenda and public invitation for 12 May online meeting of Nairn River Community Council

As advertised in today’s Nairnshire Telegraph , Nairn River Community Council will be holding an online public meeting next Tuesday 12th May from 7.30 – 9.30 pm. Here is the Agenda

AGENDA for Nairn River Community Council online meeting 12 May 2020

Any member of the public in Nairn wishing to attend/observe the online meeting should send an email with their first name, name of street and post code to nrcc.online@outlook.com and request the link to join the meeting.  There will be time for public questions if technology permits.

(Note that this meeting was cut short due to technical and internal difficulties and we are not planning any more online public meetings until we can iron these out and include everyone.)

We will continue to keep you informed and in touch with local issues on this website
and have added a new Community Information page to keep you updated during current lockdown which  will signpost you to local sources of support and information

Your 12  local Community Councillors are still here to help you so please contact them if you want to report or discuss any community  or Planning issue relating to the Nairn River area

Please address any media enquiries to  chair@nairnrivercc.org or secretary@nairnrivercc.org

( Post script  these email  addresses have now changed to chair.nrivercc@gmail.com  or  info.nrivercc@gmail.com

Nairn River Community Council Lockdown update and March 10th Minutes

We hope that everyone is staying safe at home and keeping well in these strange times.
Since 23rd March  Nairn River Community Council has been in lockdown, but members have remained active working from home and continue to serve the local community.

Our members have had a steep ‘learning curve’ mastering online meetings using the Cisco Webex platform, and trying out Google voting to make decisions by email .
With public meetings cancelled, our members agreed to donate  £125 from our operational grant (usually spent on  room hire, and press adverts), to the newly formed Nairn Task Force to fund ID badges for  community volunteers helping vulnerable local households with shopping and deliveries.
For more information on this see our  Community Information page on this website
Community Councillors have continued in lockdown to respond by phone and email to individual residents\’ concerns and questions and we have kept a close eye on Planning matters.
After a \’practice run\’ on 7 April  – we held our first online meeting on 14th April with  8 of our 12 members present, plus 4 members of West and Suburban CC
At that meeting we approved the minutes of our last Public Meeting
Members agreed to write to Highland Council to ask that decisions on two controversial local Planning Applications,  for a new CAB and flats in King Street on the site of the old Community Centre, and for FIT housing at Cawdor Road, be deferred during lockdown along with progress of the Local Development Plan, until we have the chance to  assess the long term impact of this health crisis on our local community and economy.
Community Councils had already been notified by  Highland Council since lockdown that the
consultation on proposed Car Parking Charges for Nairn is now on hold.
We also agreed to  submit a new objection as Statutory Consultee to the revised FIT Housing Application – to support objections from Environmental Health and Gordon\’s Sawmill lodged since our last meeting 10th March, which indicate that  noise mitigation measures proposed by the developer were not going to be adequate to protect residents.
Since the 14th April meeting,  at very short notice, members also agreed a further letter to Highland Council to be sent jointly with West and Suburban CC on 27th April, objecting to proposed changes to the Planning process by Highland Council Planners.
These changes, notified to us on 23rd April for immediate effect on 28th April, would allow Planning Applications to be approved behind closed doors by only two people , the Planning Committee Chair and the relevant Planning Officer,  bypassing scrutiny of the full planning committee.
Many Councillors  raised objections  to this, as well as the 2 Nairn Community Councils.
Our current understanding is that decisions on the following Planning Applications are now deferred until a full meeting of South Planning Applications Committee can be held.
1/ 20/00338/FUL A new CAB and flats on the footprint of the old Community Centre on King Street  with  proposed  demolition of adjacent Old Social Work Building/former Police Station,  and
2/ 20/00493/FUL the  FIT Homes development at Cawdor Road proposed by Albyn Housing
 ( follow Planning website links above for further information including NRCC objections)
Our next meeting will be held online on 12th May at 7.30 when we invite the public to join us
Watch this space and the Nairnshire Telegraph for details of future meetings
We have now created a new Community Information page on this website to keep you updated during current lockdown and beyond-  this will signpost you to local sources of support and information