NRCC is to have its next ordinary meeting on-line via zoom on Wednesday 10th February, starting at 7pm.
You can join us by clicking this link (or copy and paste it into your browser search box at the top of the page):
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/77897877229?pwd=VFlpbEdUSWtZTHRRNkdUVlBiR3Jmdz09
The papers currently available for you to read are:
Application for funding a Trekker
As further papers become available we\’ll add them on this page. Look forward to seeing you next week.
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 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
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.
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.
16 July 2020
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.
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.
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