Nairn Matters

Proposals have been put forward for demolition of the vacated GP surgery and the erection of a 11 no. unit flatted residential development. Obviously a three-storey development has caused some consternation among local residents. More details on the Highland Council web site

We have to be concerned that developers, once again, seem to be in the driving seat when it comes to delivering the future of Nairn. There is no coordinated or joined-up thinking about how we improve the town. None of the responsible agencies have sat round a table and put together any ideas about Nairn’s future direction. We’ve had lots of ideas from developers  – and perhaps too often – getting planning approval. So we end up with disjointed and often out-of-character developments, not because Nairn is in any way enhanced but simply on the basis that money can made from a plot of land.

The council ought to engage with Nairn businesses, residents, developers and property owners to deliver a joined-up vision for the town. Property owners should not be allowed to sit on their hands while buildings crumble;  developers should not be setting the agenda for change. There needs to be a new memorandum of understanding to ensure that all stakeholders work together for the good of the town and to an agreed objective. Other towns have done it and it has meant that planners are no longer be besieged by developers; developers know what they have to do within the strategic plan to have the proposals speeded through the planning process. Fundamentally every developer should be working within a framework that takes the town closer to its defined objectives. At the moment we just have a hotch-potch of uncoordinated developments. It’s surely not beyond the wit of man to come up with a plan, but I do worry that it might be beyond the wit of Highland Council.