Common Good Fund
May 18th, 2009 | 
Author: May I advise all Nairn citizens that Sandown Lands are an asset belonging to the Common Good Fund, is now, and always has been totally theirs. There is no farmer with either grazing rights or agricultural lease using it. While Highland Council holds the Deeds, they do so on behalf of Nairn residents. Therefore, they should use the area to walk their dogs, ride their horses, cycle over it, picnic on it, kick a football around it, fly a kite from it and not just the wetlands area – all of it. Make sure you take photographs of your usage of the area so that your claim to free usage is perpetuated. This counts for a lot at the next round of any future planning application.
There is no reason why there might not be 130 or more houses built on Sandown, so that the Common Good Fund can benefit and supplement the charitable work that it carries out. However, Nairn citizens must all ensure that they are consulted by the Trustees of the Common Good Fund BEFORE any disposal of Common Good Lands is made, under the heading of changes to the Nairnshire Local Plan, in its future guise as the Inner Murray Firth Plan. Be warned that Deveron or someone like them will be back, aided and abetted by Highland Council. Do not be lulled into a false sense of security that it was our Nairn Councillors, who were instrumental in rejecting the application.
The application totally failed because Highland Council were disingenuous in how they dealt with Deveron and the Nairn public. They failed to follow regulations by not acknowledging the primacy of the Nairnshire Local Plan for 130 houses on Sandown; then, not following procedures necessary to have it amended, having applied for planning consent for an increase to 230 houses; and then, not translating the housing limits within that original plan (max.130) into the DRAFT Development Plan. Furthermore, as the Draft Development Plan was never brought to committee for approval it also never had legal status, as an authorised Development Plan.
Nairn citizens should understand that the Common Good Fund is theirs and theirs alone. They should require that Highland Council make the Nairn Community Councillors Trustees as well as maybe the 4 Nairn Councillors. Thus, they should also insist that the other Highland Councillors should NOT be Trustees of the Nairn Common Good Fund. No offence to them but they should NOT be Trustees because they do NOT live in Nairn, a fundamental criteria of Common Good Fund administration, which Councillors in other areas of the Highlands should be demanding adherence to in their own areas where a Common Good Fund exists. If any one is interested I can bore them with the historical details and some of the current cases being acted out around Scotland at present but there is lots of info here…
John Hart
Mount Pleasant
Sandown Road
Nairn
i have said this all along it is for all of us and we should have a say in how it is used more allotments for a start would be good as we still have a waiting list. but we have to keep a close eye on the land and keep on top of planning.
Perhaps Nairn residents should hold a mass picnic at Sandown to express our thanks to Highland Council for taking such good care of one of our assets!
What if we all at the next Council elections only vote for candidates that promise to return the common good fund to the full democratic control of the people of Nairn?
You are right, we do have to keep a close eye on the land which belongs to us and on the Planners who are supposed to Progress the development of Nairn and its hinterland with several principles in mind.
1. supporting the viability of communities
2. developing a prosperous and vibrant local economy and
3. safeguarding and enhancing the natural and built environment.
Comment moved to its own Category for further discussion. See Planning Considerations. (Admin)
Incidentally Buttercup, I love the idea of a Mass Picnic, you organise it and I will bring the gang to celebrate. Such a good thing to do on Common Good Land. Maybe something could be done along the lines of Ballerina Ballroom of Dreams, mass cake, quiche bake, homemade lemonade, allotment holders producing food to eat from their plots, kids sack race, Mums’ egg & Spoon race, Dads man the bar-b-Q. Your idea has a lot of potential.
Yes I’ll come to a picnic too. Great idea.
Anyone interested in, or concerned about, the way in which the Highland Council plans to manage the various Common Good funds and assets within the region should take a close look at the document recently produced by the Council’s Corporate Manager (William Gilfillan). It can be found at http://www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/C032C611-86F9-496A-8325-C27B1052E34B/0/Item21RES8009.pdf .
This paper has already been considered, it seems, by the Council’s Resource Committee, whatever that is, on 10 June. I wonder if any of Nairn’s elected Councillors have focused on this document? There are some breathtaking assumptions, some dubious assertions, and some significant gaps, in the draft policy that is proposed.
Anyone worried about what might happen to Nairn’s Common Good assets (which are much more than just Sandown) ought to look closely at the Council’s draft policy – and make sure that our elected representatives do so too, and reflect local views sensibly when the policy proposals are discussed.
well done mr hart his letter in the nairnshire today was well put. i am sure a lot more folk think the same way