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

Nairn River Community Council back up and running Feb 2020

Nairn River Community Council is now back up and running in 2020 after a year off

Our first meeting was in February
Minutes of meeting February 11th 2020
Our  next two public meetings  are Tuesday March 10th  and Tuesday April 14th* both at 7 30 at Nairn Community and Arts Centre ( *due to lockdown members met online on 14 April)

Please send your concerns and questions to secretary@nairnrivercc.org  or chair@nairnrivercc or contact  any of our 12 newly elected volunteer members, listed below
( see our Members page  for contact details)

Tommy Hogg ( Chair)   chair@nairnrivercc.org
Hamish Bain (Vice Chair)
Mandy Lawson ( Secretary)  secretary@nairnrivercc.org
Veronica Mackinnon ( Treasurer)
Steven Bain
Peter Gibson
Ian Gordon
Simon Noble
Paul McIvor
Stewart Stansfield
David Thomson
Katrina Woods

Nairn River CC represents around 5600 residents of  Fishertown, High Street, Lochloy, Merryton, Balmakeith, Broadhill, Boathpark,Househill, Queenspark and Mill Road areas .If you are not sure if you live in our patch see the map of Nairn River territory
Nairn West and Suburban Community Council represents the rest of the former Nairn \’Royal Burgh\’

A Community Council is a \’statutory consultee\’, with a public duty to monitor all  Highland Council Planning and Licensing applications in our area and submit comments as required to reflect  the concerns and best interests of local residents.
Community Councillors are elected by the public but unlike Highland Councillors who are paid  – they are volunteers and do this work in their own time. 

Nairn\’s 4 elected Highland Councillors Laurie Fraser, Tom Heggie, Liz Macdonald and Peter Saggers are ex-officio members of the Community Council which means they can attend but do not vote.

You will find latest information on our meetings and activities here online, in  the Nairnshire Telegraph and on public noticeboards  at Castle Square, the Library and Community and Arts Centre.

We are working hard on improving communication with the local community to make sure that your voice is heard and that  your views and needs are fully reflected in local authority Plans

Please contact members anytime with  your local concerns and  questions and tell us what you think about local housing, infrastructure (roads, drains, sewerage),  public services and amenities in the Nairn River area.

Agenda for Meeting of Nairn River Community Council 23 January 2019

Here is the Agenda for the next public meeting of Nairn River Community Council to be held at Nairn Community and Arts Centre on Wednesday 23rd January at 7pmAgenda for NRCC 23 Jan 2019
We would particularly welcome local residents interested in putting their names forward for the Community Council elections this November to represent the Nairn River community.
(more information below about what we do)
Here also are the Minutes of our last 2 meetings
Minutes NRCC 21 Nov 2018
Minutes Joint NRCC meeting with WSCC 19 Dec 2018

Community Councils Review by Highland Council 
Highland Council has approved at a special meeting on 16th January 2019 a period of consultation on the  recently published 2018-19 Review of Community Councils Scheme of Establishment
Click on the link here for a summary of the main proposals and changes which affect the 5 Nairn and Nairnshire  Community Councils , which we will be discussing at Wednesday\’s meeting.

Next Community Council elections – November 2019
Note that the next elections for Community Council members are due in November this year.
Nairn River Community Council will require to elect 12 members this year.
We would encourage people living in our \’patch\’ to get involved – and stand for election to represent your community.
If interested in nominating yourself or a friend as a future Community Council member please  get in touch with secretary@nairnrivercc.org.
We will need more than 12 nominations for there to be a contested election in November, so get your name in the frame to support local democracy.
Please also feel free to come and introduce yourself at one of our 2019 public meetings to learn how we work and  see what our volunteer members have to deal with.
2019 meeting dates confirmed so far are as follows all  Wednesdays at 7pm
 20 Mar, 15 May, 19 June(AGM), 17 July, 18 Sept, 19 Nov

What are  Community Councils?
Community Councils were brought in by the Local Government Act of 1973 to replace Scottish Parish Councils.
Community Councils in Scotland are quite different from \’Parish Councils\’ in England and Wales who have control over sizeable budgets for spending in the local area.

  • Community Councils are run by unpaid volunteers
  • Community Councillors do not have a vote at Highland Council or other local authority(eg NHS Highland, Police Scotland)
  • Community Councils do not have a \’local budget\’ to spend.
  • After last year\’s 60% cut our current grant  only covers basic meeting and admin costs
  • Community Councils are not a legally incorporated organisation so cannot run local projects
  • Community Councils receive a grant from Highland Council but operate independently of it.
  • Community Councils are principally a communication channel, providing a voice for local citizens and community in public consultation on planning and delivery of local infrastructure and services

Highland Council and Nairn
Since the closure of Nairn\’s local District Council based at the Courthouse in 1996, \’Nairn and Cawdor\’ is one of 21 Highland Council \’Wards\’ in a region which covers half of Scotland.
This locality (Nairn and Nairnshire) is represented by 4 elected Highland  Councillors out of a total of 74 Councillors who have votes at Highland Council meetings in Inverness.
Unlike Community Councillors, who are volunteers, Highland Councillors are paid a salary.
Highland Councillors are non voting members of local Community Councils in their Ward.

Nairn Community Councils joint meeting next Wednesday 19th December 2018 and slides from community presentation for new Highland CEO 14 Dec

Nairn River Community Council will be holding a joint meeting with Nairn West and Suburban Community Council at Nairn Community Centre on Wednesday 19th December from 7pm
This will be primarily a social meeting to review 2018. We will also  feed back on a community visit from Donna Manson the new Highland Chief Executive held last Friday 14 December
At this event around 30 representatives of Nairn  communities shared with Mrs Manson the Nairn perspective on key current issues for local communities and their vision for greater community empowerment and improved collaboration and engagement with Highland Council in the interests of Nairn
Here is the Powerpoint presentation  which was shared with Mrs Manson on 14 December at the Centre
It includes contributions from a wide range of Nairn community organisations and interest groups

Next Nairn River Community Council Meeting – Wednesday 21st November, 7pm Nairn Community and Arts Centre

The next Nairn River CC meeting will be held at the Community and Arts Centre at 7pm  on Wed 21 November 2018
Here is the Agenda  and the Minutes of our last meeting ( Sept 17) 
Main topics discussed were

  • Highland Councils new rules  on Developer Contributions and the mystery of the \’missing millions\’ which Highland Council should have collected from developers for the hundreds of homes  built on Nairn Lochloy estate to pay for infrastructure and community facilities, including a planned school and a bridge over the railway.  A recent  Highland Council response to a Freedom of Information request by a local resident records only £271,000  collected  from Lochloy developers since 2000. The school was removed from the Local Plan with no local consultation, and there is still no sign of the promised bridge to Balmakeith
  • Concerns about how Nairn Common Good Fund is currently managed (with decisions made by the whole Council in Inverness, with our 4 Nairn Councillors well outnumbered). How do we  ensure that Nairn residents have a proper say in how Common Good Assets ( like the Links and Sandown Lands) and CG Funds in the bank are used in future in the best interests of our town?  Do  we need a more appropriate governance structure, as many other Scottish towns have for their Common Good Funds, like a charitable trust with locally appointed trustees?
These discussions will continue on Wednesday along with the usual planning and community planning updates. 
We also expect more detail from our Highland Councillors on the business case for local Parking Charges,   such as costs of implementing and policing, and how projected revenue would be used. 

Next Nairn River CC meeting Wed 19 Sept 7pm at Community and Arts Centre

The next Nairn River CC meeting will be held at the Community and Arts Centre at 7 on Wed 19 Sept
Here is the agenda   and the Minutes of our last meeting in  July 2018
(We had no public meeting in August but you will see that our members have been very busy)
You will also notice a new look \’timed\’ agenda.

In light of this year\’s 60% operational funding cut from Highland Council) we aim to

  • better coordinate our growing workload  with other Nairnshire Community Councils 
  • make more use of our webpage and other channels to share information with local residents
  • hold fewer meetings  but improve focus  on key topics of concern to Nairn River residents  where community involvement can make a real difference for Nairn 

Other reading material relating to Wednesday\’s agenda and recent CC activities is below
There is a lot of information here but we\’d encourage all Nairn residents to inform themselves  on current and proposed developments for the town and to get involved so that they can have a say in Nairn\’s future.

Parking Charges
Highland Council Car Parking Redesign paper re proposed parking charges for Nairn

Developer Contributions
Highland Council new Developer Contributions Supplementary Guidance 2018

A letter to Highland Council from Nairn Concerned Residents Group re implications of this new guidance on current and planned developments in Nairn ( including recently approved 115 more houses at Kingsteps/Lochloy)

Community Participation and Empowerment
Action points  from a joint meeting on 13 August between Nairnshire Community Planning Partners and representatives from 4 out of 5 Nairnshire local Community Councils

Highland Council\’s Annual Performance Report 2017/18 on Community Participation Requests
 ( the only one received all year was from Nairn West and Suburban CC- and it was turned down )

Nairn Common Good
Nairn Common Good Fund latest annual report and budget for 2018/19 ( Nairnshire Committee)

Links Development ( Common Good Land)
Links Scoping Report   and Nairn BID report ( from June Nairnshire Committee )
Team Hamish: A Vision for Nairn   and Team Hamish Presentation and Community feedback

Sandown Development ( Common Good Land)
recent press release from Highland Council re proposed Sandown development 

Happy Reading! All welcome to attend our meetings or contact us secretary@nairnrivercc.org   with any  concerns.

Links Development – Nairn community groups seek to collaborate with HIghland Council

The two Nairn  \’town\’ Community Councils ( Nairn River CC and Suburban and West CC)

have written to Nairn Councillors and the Ward Manager this week to urge a joined up approach to the future development and improvement of the Links and seafront area. Our letter is here
In June 2018 a  Nairn Links Scoping Report written by Council officers and an Options Appraisal and Consultation commissioned by the Council on the paddling pool area , were tabled at Highland Council\’s Nairnshire Committee
At the Nairn Games on 18th August the Council hosted a \’public consultation\’ stall based on its own reports above to inform a new plan for the Links area.  This  stall was staffed by Nairn\’s Highland Councillors and the Ward Manager. It did not involve Community Councils or include the ideas and vision of any local community led enterprises such as Team Hamish, the Harbour Working Group, NICE, the BID team who have already done so much work to explore future options and resources to improve Nairn\’s amenities.  
We are calling for a joined up way forward for any future Links Development.  We feel strongly that this process should not be Council led but taken forward  with the Nairn community and businesses working in collaboration with local authorities .
We  encourage everyone interested in the future of the Links and Nairn  to go along to the Council\’s next consultation event about the future of the Links area. This is to be held  from 1 till 4 pm at the Cricket Pavilion on Saturday 1st September  More information below      

Donate to civic events and win hot local tickets for September!

We are fundraising  to set up a small civic grants fund  for Nairn River Community Council to use to help out local organisations who do good for Nairn.
We are having to do this as our own Highland Council grant was cut this year by 60% and we can no longer give small donations as we have in the past to help fund civic events such as Nairn Games and Xmas lights switch on.
We are trying a new way to do this through crowdfunding and  if you donate a few pounds you also have a chance to win valuable tickets to 2 ( already sold out) local events  –
the legendary Monster Music Bash ( an evening of vintage Nairn rock n blues ) on 15 Sept at the British Legion, 
and for the kids 2 under 18 tickets to see Chris Packham, naturalist and  TV presenter at the Community Centre on Sunday 16th Sept ( part of Nairn Book and Arts Festival)
The JustGiving weblink is here (  sorry link was no working for a couple of days due to technical hitch. All OK now. )
Nairn Civic Events Crowdfunder ( plus free tickets draw)