Thank you to everyone who has taken part in our community consultations, from our initial questionnaire over the summer of 2023 to our Road Show and Online Consultation.

We received a wide range of input, including:

• 454 replies to our community survey
• 64 directly submitted comments to our website
• 181 local people attending our community consultation roadshow
• 690 individual comments left at our community roadshow
• 2 detailed proposal emails received representing both an individual and a major community group
• 21 open Thursdays hosted at the Nairn Community & Arts Centre
• 87 detailed responses to our online community survey

On behalf of the community, Planning Aid Scotland are assessing all of this information in readiness for our May workshops. Key headings, with conversation ideas, that are emerging are:

Business & Jobs

• Space for industrial growth, new and growing businesses at scale
• Space for green industries and freeport related businesses
  • For both – reference to Grigorhill Masterplan
• Small business infrastructure and ecosystem – coworking hubs
• Creative industry opportunities
• Tourism industry opportunities
• Infrastructure to support business and jobs

Getting Around

• By-pass – including what we do before this is enacted, and then after this is constructed
• Public transport – improving access, routes and supporting Nairn and shire needs
• Other roads – connecting communities, ability to use these routes for active travel
• Active travel – leisure and commuting/service routes. Again a pre and post bypass story here.
• Accessibility – what does all the above look like for creating safe, universal access
  • Firhall Bridge ramp
• Connection between train station and town centre, town centre and beach

Town & Village Centres

• Conservation Areas – ensuring quality, and using these as a vehicle for funding (e.g. CARS etc)
• Building Reuse – reference to Scottish Housing Investment Programme
  • Homes
  • Community hub
  • Coworking hub
  • Creative spaces
  • Market
• Central homes
  • Above shops, empty buildings, allocating central sites
  • Densify areas around community infrastructure (i.e. transport, shops, health)
• Facilities – locating centrally. Use relocation policy to draw footfall etc into the town centre.
  • Library retention in central location
• Policy limiting out of town development – connecting to jobs and business growth

Green Space & Leisure

• Sites for greenspace retention, or mixed use approach.
• Leisure hubs/spaces – developments at the beach, ensuring access, public infrastructure etc
• Renewable and regenerative spaces – nature reserves, coastal protection, maximizing the use of Nairn’s common good spaces for the public good.
• Role of Royal Burgh of Nairn’s Common Good assets – how can this be managed for the long term public good.
• Nairn Harbour – location for tourism, leisure etc.
• Swimming pool upgrade

Sustainable Futures

• Connecting sites to infrastructure that ensures sustainable locations
• Renewables and regenerative approaches – how can sites be used for renewable energy, district heating. Solar farm, run of river hydro, tidal, wind.
• Homes – design guides, provision of the right types in the right locations (i.e. provision for people downsizing, for first home buyers etc)
• Flooding – defenses where needed, adaptation where possible, no building where risk
• Balanced population – attracting people to Nairn to fill caring roles as population ages

These headings, with their supporting ideas, will form our May workshops. We will be holding one workshop per event. Our May workshops will run from 9th – 16th May, and will include some key invitations, including Highland Council officials, other authority bodies, and key community stakeholders. If you would like your community group to be represented at any of these events, please contact us initially by email to lpp@nicenairn.org.uk.