Did you make it along?

Last night was our last Road Show consultation event in the preparation of the Nairn and Nairnshire Local Place Plan.

We’re still reading and counting up more than 700 comments left by our 150 visitors, across the 9 events, ranging from Auldearn to Croy and the Seaman’s Hall to Fornighty Hall. Our visitors ranged across all ages:

U18s4
18-24
25-346
35-4413
45-5414
55-6430
65-7441
+7532
Total150
the Local Place Plan Roadshow ran from 4th March 2024-27th March 2024, hosting 9 events throughout Nairnshire

Did you make it along? Thank you if you did. It was great to meet you and hear your thoughts. If not, don’t panic, you can still take part. You can visit our Digital Hall, and give us your feedback by completing our online consultation, or by emailing us directly at lpp@nicenairn.org.uk.

We will share insights to the themes that are shining through from your feedback as we read and group all of your comments.

The online consultation closes end of 14th April 2024.

If you are a member of a community group and would like to take part in our May workshops, please send us your details for the attention of Kenny at lpp@nicenairn.org.uk.

Nairn and Nairnshire Local Place Plan – get involved!

Your Nairnshire Local Place Plan consultation is open.

We are counting down to the end of our consultation Road Show. After a busy few weeks, we will have covered the length and breadth of Nairnshire collecting your ideas, thoughts, and proposals for the future development of Nairn and Nairnshire. It has been an exciting trip, with some carefully considered opinions, thoughts, and suggestions for our future development presented for incorporation to our body of evidence.

The Local Place Plan development has been an incremental path, which started way back in June 2023:

  • June – September 2023: initial public consultation, gathering your general thoughts on Nairn and Nairnshire, which became the formative themes for our detailed consultation
  • August 2023: NICE appointed as the Local Place Plan delivery body
  • October 2023: funding approved for NICE to deliver the Local Place Plan
  • November 2023: Local Place Plan Coordinator appointed, with open Thursdays launching at the Nairn Community & Arts Centre with some key community body meetings held
  • January 2023: our first Community Group consultation workshop was held in the Nairn Community & Arts Centre
  • February 2023: the Nairn and Nairnshire Local Place Plan timeline and progress so far presented to Highland Council
  • March 2023: our community consultation Road Show launched, starting in Nairn Academy, and ending on 27th March in the Lethen Hall, Auldearn
  • March 2023: our online detailed consultation went live, with a closing date of 14th April 2024

We have been asking some ‘voting’ questions, some demographic, and some more detailed questions on land development, use of land, and asking you to sow the seeds for future community action projects that may grow from the Local Place Plan.

This is your chance to have your opinion heard and taken through to our body of evidence, and to help shape the direction of Nairn and Nairnshire for the next 10+ years. As the grand parents would have said, “speak now or forever hold your peace”.

Your Local Place Plan Needs You!

Your Local Place Plan consultation has been on the road since 4th March, and will finish its Road Show on 27th March. If you can’t get along, if you’ve had more thoughts, if you’d like to take part online instead of in person…our Survey is Live!

Our survey might take you a few minutes, or, you might want to spend some time on it. You can, if you have a Google account, save progress and come back to it later. If you have something that doesn’t quite fit the form, you can still email that in to lpp@nicenairn.org.uk, or visit us on a Thursday in the Nairn Community & Arts Centre.

Don’t forget, this is your chance to make a difference for the future of Nairn and Nairnshire. Your Local Place Plan will help to guide the physical development of Nairn for the next 10 years or more.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Our Road Show is on the road!

Your Local Place Plan for Nairnshire hit the road this week with open evenings at Nairn Academy and at Fornighty Hall.

Some in-depth conversations have led to more than 50 comments, suggestions, and opinions across our 15 prompt boards.

If you would like to get involved, why not join us next week. We’ll be at:

Seaman’s Hall on Monday 11th March from 4pm – 8:30pm, or

Cawdor Primary School on Tuesday 12th March from 4pm – 8:30pm

This is your chance to have your say heard for the future of Nairn and Nairnshire.

Your Nairnshire Local Place Plan – Recent Events

The last few weeks have been busy for the Local Place Plan team.

We have been working on our Road Show programme of dates and getting those out to you in our latest mail drop. This has started arriving through your door from Monday 19th February. 

Last week, on Tuesday 13th, we presented to key Highland Council officers who may be instrumental in helping us to finalise the Local Place Plan with key project baselines drawn for a future Community Action Plan. Our team presented to 14 officer’s, from place planning to active travel, as well as key service providers including Highlife Highland.

On Friday 16th, we presented to more than 30 attendees at the Community Partnership meeting held at the Nairn Community & Arts Centre.

This week, we are putting together our media and materials for the Road Show. Our Road Show is a great opportunity for you to help shape the Local Place Plan for Nairnshire, helping us guide future planning and land use. You can attend any of our drop in sessions:

  • Monday 4th March, Nairn Academy, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
  • Tuesday 5th March, Fornighty Hall, 4:00pm – 8:30pm
  • Monday 11th March, Seaman’s Hall, 4:00pm – 8:30pm
  • Tuesday 12th March, Cawdor Primary School, 4:00pm – 8:30pm
  • Monday 18th March, Croy Village Hall, 4:00pm – 8:30pm
  • Tuesday 19th March, British Legion Cawdor Street Nairn, 4:00pm – 8:30pm
  • Tuesday 26th March, Nairn Community and Arts Centre, 4:00pm – 8:30pm
  • Wednesday 27th March, Nairn Dunbar Golf Course, 1:00pm – 4:00pm
  • Wednesday 27th March, Lethen Road Hall, Auldearn, 4:00pm – 8:30pm

We are still open for your feedback during our open hours, generally Tuesday afternoons between 2pm and 5pm, and Thursday between 9am and 5pm in the Music Room, Nairn Community & Arts Centre. Alternatively, you can email us directly at lpp@nicenairn.org.uk.

We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Our Common Good

Nairn’s Common Good story is well told by ‘A Gurn from Nurn’. There you can read the full story (which was originally researched and written by Nairn West and Suburban Community Council)  but, we can take a quick look, with thanks to NWSCC, over how Nairnshire, and the town of Nairn, has been so well provided for:

  • In 1589, King James VI confirmed Burgh status on Nairn and conferred what we now call the Common Good land, then known as the Commonties, stretching from Tradespark to Kingsteps to the township;
  • the collection of tolls by the Bailies, which could be used for the benefit of the Burgh, led to the creation of the Common Good Fund, which in 1832 became a stand alone fund. The burgh and councils were free to add to the Common Good lands with further purchases, donations, and investments in land; and
  • following the 1975 local government organisation, Scottish Burghs were replaced by District and Regional Councils. District Councils were scrapped in 1995. Management and titles of Common Good assets transferred to the Regional Councils, wresting control or decision making from the community

This centralising of control was not unique to Nairn We can see this theme played out amongst all regions of Scotland.

Today, NPF4 and the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 seek to re-establish community direction in planning, giving us all the opportunity to influence the future outcomes of spatial land use in Nairnshire. What does make Nairn so unique is the successful protection of those Common Good lands. Without them, it is hard to imagine what our beach front may look like, what the riverside and river paths may have become, and what would remain of the Viewfield.

Some of those Common Good lands have been leased, such as Sandown, the caravan park, and Nairn Dunbar golf course, whilst others continue to benefit everyone with no cost, such as the Links, Riverside, and Viewfield green spaces.


We would love to know how you see those Common Good assets fitting within a future Nairn. 

How would you protect them?

How would you link them with other spaces and routes through Nairnshire?

How would you increase their value to the people of Nairnshire?

Do you think residents of the town should have more say in their management?

The use of spaces, such as the Common Good, and as we looked at last week, those areas zoned for development by the Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2, are how our Local Place Plan can influence future spatial decision making that will shape Nairnshire for the future.

You can send us your thoughts directly at lpp@nicennairn.org.uk, or by commenting below. We look forward to hearing from you.

Nairn’s Local Place Plan Community Group consultation launches!

the Community Consultation covered Community Amenities being discussed here under the stewardship of Nairn Academy’s Deputy Head, Sarah Abenheimer

We were delighted to welcome 39 guests to our initial Community Group download session, ably hosted by Planning Aid Scotland. Participants covered a wide cross section of Nairnshire, from Nairn Access Panel leading conversation on Getting Around, to representatives from Nairnshire’s farming community. We were pleased to welcome DTAS’ Alice Duthuille, Programme Development Officer, as spectator to proceedings.

Following a brief introduction to the evening from Alastair Noble, LPP Chair, and Iain McPherson, Operations Director for Planning Aid Scotland, Iain put everyone to work in groups formed under our 5 main headings. A collaboration of organisations across Nairnshire took lead roles in the conversation, with each working group reporting back their top 3 points from the night. Participants had the chance to move amongst the groups at a half-time coffee break.

Town Centre: including heritage Conservation and Tourist Welcome

led by Nairn’s BID

  • “our beach is the town centre”
  • “regeneration will need a significant financial plan with political cooperation”
  • “regeneration of derelict/ empty buildings”

Community Amenities: Health, Education, Leisure, and Recreation

led by Nairn Academy’s Deputy Head 

  • “safe travel routes between amenities encouraging seafront sustainability with improved parking”
  • “sports facilities – can the footprint of the old Nairn Academy be reused for covered sports facilities”
  • “financing and finance”

Getting Around: sorting traffic jams, safe/ accessible paths, parking and pavements to promote walking and active travel, more convenient buses

led by Nairn Access Panel

  • “making Nairn accessible for everyone – a safe and accessible route to the beach”
  • “collaboration/ discussion between groups to ensure plans can be achieved”
  • “don’t take mobility, or access, for granted”

Employment: more local jobs and space to grow businesses to create them

led by Grigorhill Business leaders and 

  • “young people, and retaining young people, with viable night time economy”
  • “increased employment and job guidance opportunities in school”
  • “town centre regeneration to increase jobs and interest”

Our Environment: protecting the natural environment, green spaces

led by LPP volunteers

  • “management group for common good”
  • “a high quality green environment is good for mental health”
  • “wealth of green space represented by Common Good assets may provide opportunities for leisure, recreation, and the attractiveness of Nairn as a destination”

Local Development Plan and General

led by LPP and NICE volunteers

  • “joined up and integrated way of working together”
  • “new plans to retrofit and re-purpose, not simply build new”
  • “allocation of space for housing and business”
  • “control of developer obligations”

The main highlights of the night’s discussion were summarised by Iain McPherson:

  • derelict and empty buildings should have a priority to retrofit/ re-use to create a vibrant town centre;
  • Nairnshire’s beach front and Common Good Assets to be managed as a unified and accessible block; and
  • community ownership, giving influence and control, achieved through political cohesion across Nairnshire

Nairn and Nairnshire

As we develop the Local Place Plan for Nairnshire, we are obliged to respond and refer to the Local Development Plan: Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2, Plan as Submitted to Scottish Ministers for consultation, 25th March 2023

References herein, and within the links hereto, refer to this publication.

You should also consider the National Planning Framework 4.

Nairn

Nairn is classified as a Tier 1 settlement, with a Strategic Scale of Growth, with a Most Sustainable status, amongst other Tier 1 settlements, such as Inverness, Alness, Beauty, Dingwall, and others.

There are 7 distinct land allocations made for Nairn within IMFLDP2. These are:

NA01 Achareidh
NA02 Former Showfield East
NA03 Nairn Town Centre
NA04 Sandown
NA05 Nairn East
NA06 East of the Retail Park
NA07 Sawmill Expansion

Croy

Croy is classified as a Tier 3 settlement, with a Local Scale of Growth and a Partially Sustainable status amongst other Tier 3 settlements, such as Auldearn, Avoch, Strathpeffer, and others.

Within Croy, there are 2 distinct land allocations. These are:

CR01 West of Primary School
CR02 North West of Primary School

Cawdor

Cawdor is identified as a growing settlement within the Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2. This is classified for “”Infill” only”, “Bolstering the smallest established rural communities”. Reference Table 2 Settlement Hierarchy, Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2, published for consultation 25th March 2023. You can find out more here:

Placemaking Priorities 39 Cawdor

Auldearn

Audlearn is classified as a Tier 3 settlement, with a Local Scale of Growth and a Partially Sustainable status amongst other Tier 3 settlements, such as Croy, Fortrose, Tomatin, and others.

Within Auldearn, there is a single land allocation made:

AU01 Land at Meadowfield

Each of the above Land Allocations are clickable links to individual summaries.

Your Thoughts

The success of the Nairnshire Local Place Plan is entirely based on our collective wants and ambitions for Nairnshire over the next 10 years and beyond. Without your input, the Nairnshire Local Place Plan and the wider Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan will fail to deliver the Nairnshire that the community wants.

Don’t miss your opportunity to contribute. You can contact us directly at lpp@nicenairn.org.uk, or leave your comments below.

Cawdor: Placemaking Priority

Figure 1: Map 49 Cawdor, Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2, page 350, published for consultation 25th March 2023.

Cawdor is identified in the Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2 as a Growing Settlement. It is addressed at Placemaking Priorities 39. Future development of Cawdor is embraced where this achieves small scale infill and rounding off, and of redevelopment of brownfield sites with no heritage value. Considerations and limitations are to avoid areas at risk of flooding from the Cawdor Burn, whilst preserving and enhancing woodland and watercourses whilst delivering and enhancing active travel use, connections, and biodiversity including the A96 Landward Trail. Reference Placemaking Priorities 30 Cawdor, Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2, page 350, published for consultation 25th March 2023.

What would you like to see for a future Cawdor? Is sensitive infill and rounding out development what you see for a sustainable, green, Cawdor?

Perhaps you would like to see a more ambitious plan for Cawdor, where jobs and homes are created to retain skills and young families in the area?

Maybe you feel that an area of land around Cawdor should be protected and developed as a re-wilding, fostering woodlands of historic types and the natural environment, reducing flood risk and increasing biodiversity around the settlement?

However you see the future of Cawdor, we would love to see your plans to help create a comprehensive Nairnshire Local Place Plan. You can contact us at lpp@nicenairn.org.uk or by leaving your comments below.

Croy CR02: North West of Primary School

Figure 1: Map 12, Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2, page 129, published for consultation 25th March 2023.

The area of land identified in CR02 is 6.4ha or thereby, and allocated for Housing, Community, and Business with an indicative capacity of 50 housing units. Reference CR02: North West of Primary School, Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2, page 130, published for consultation 25th March 2023.

This area to the North West of the Primary School is obligated to ensure that there is no adverse effect on Loch Flemington, whilst giving consideration to transport, road networks, and the potential of creating a community and/or small scale commercial space.

How would you envisage this corner of Croy being developed to the best benefit of the community? Would you continue with a housing theme, mixed with a wooded edge to soften the town boundary, with a path network to link to Loch Flemington, the school, and the village centre?

Do you see a focus on a commercial and community hub, with housing dispersed around this central focus on creating employment, a sustainable local community, and a drive for a digital economy facing the wider global network?

Maybe you think this area should be sensitively developed with minimal intervention to create a re-wilded corner of Croy, with accessible path networks to bring people and nature together in a sustainable and harmonious space?

However you would do it, we need to know to ensure your Local Place Plan is the foundation stone for the future development of Nairnshire. You can contact us at lpp@nicenairn.org.uk, or leave your comments below.