Figure 1. Nairn, Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2, published for consultation 25th March 2023, page 278
Area NA02 Former Showfield East is identified in IMFLDP2 for an indicative 20 new homes in circa 0.8ha. Development of the site does feature requirements, including retaining the “green space, including provision of reconfigured sports pitch of at least equivalent size and quality”, all with enhanced parking and access provision. Reference Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2, published for consultation 25th March 2023, page 279.
What do you think?
Is it possible to achieve an enhanced access, with parking, where access is generally obtained from Lodgehill Road?
How does an additional 20 homes, at an additional 30 vehicles (calculated using the THC planning formula of 1.5 cars per new home), feature accessing the A96 at one of the most congested stretches of the A96 as it travels through Nairn?
Perhaps you think this infill site makes clear sense in the sustainable development of Nairn, creating capacity increase in housing without expanding the boundaries of the town?
Or do you think that the Showfield represents a key Getting Around anchor point in accessing the primary schools and High Street from Achareidh and Tradespark, taking pedestrians and non-vehicular transport away from the A96 whilst maintaining green space and capacity for sports in the town centre?
You can tell us what you think directly at lpp@nicenairn.org.uk or leave your comment below.
The proposed development at the former Showfield will simply add congestion to the A96 and will remove greenspace/community amenity from the centre of Nairn. Any developer simply wants to make money and will make any empty promise if it gains them planning permission as per the Lochloy development. This is also true for the proposed Granny Barbour Road development where the roads etc. infrastructure simply cannot cope with the proposed development. Springfield will again promise the Earth for this but will deliver none of what they say they will other than hundreds of cheaply built, crammed-together houses built for maximum profit. The supplied map also shows the Common Good land at Sandown being a development zone. This land cannot and must not ever be sold off for land, shops etc.
Nairn has plenty of additional housing planned – I think this area should be retained and used as green space, designed to provide an evironmentally planned recreation area for people to sit/walk in and to absorb vehicle emissions. Any residential development on the site will only add to Nairn’s traffic issues.
Where is the plentiful supply of proposed housing in Nairn?
There a lack of property in Nairn particularly for one or two bedroom properties.
No further developments until the bypass is completed. This land should be for new schools and recreation facilities thereafter.
We totally agree, the showfield should continue to be used for Sport, we have a junior football team, a ladies football team and a junior girls team using the showfield. And during school holidays one of the Nurseries take children there for exercise, which is good for the kids to get fresh air and exercise. This is a valuable space, has been used for sport for in excess of 40 years – the Academy (old academy) used it as their sports field. We are trying to encourage more people to exercise and there looking to take away this facility.
Well said Completely agree
This space should not be designated for housing.
It is however prime for development as a sports facility and possibly a headquarters for the Scouts and Guides
Maintain the football use but enhance the facility with proper training and welfare facilities. Integrate this facility with a state of the art Scout and guide facility.
The East end could be a building/halls and parking. The fields developed into all weather training. Running track.
Female football and facilities should be encouraged. Track skills should be encouraged. youth development should be encouraged.
Jimmy Ferguson
That idea has also had consideration for the Riverside and Maggot where exsisting facilities are waiting to be improved.
Another potential site for this is in the househil area parkland under the east end housing proposal.
No more houses in the town until the A96 issues are resolved. Loss of green space which is used for more houses and cars no thanks. Other edge of town areas already primed for development. What are the issues about water, electricity sewage? All systems already under pressure.
There should be no more housing developed until, roads, schools, medical provision, dentists and new supermarkets ie Lidl/Aldi are in place.
No more houses in Nairn. We do not have the infrastructure and the doctors practice is already stretched to capacity. Keep the green space. Houses on there will look ugly.
Leave green space alone. Roads are also not suitable. Too many cars in Nairn already. Dog walkers would miss it. Plenty room for houses elsewhere.
Another green space- what can we do? Let’s build houses. No no no. There is a lack of green space in the west end of the town and the showfield is well used. Please keep this green space for sport and recreation
Maybe develop it so that there are decent toilets etc.
There should be no more housing in Nairn until the infrastructure is sorted – all the public services are bursting at the seams as it is
It should absolutely NOT be developed. There is no way that this valuable green space should be compromised. The congestion on the road is already awful and this would cause significant additional issues. The green space is used by clubs such as girls football who already struggle to find good facilities (compared to male teams).
male teams also struggle for training areas. but i agree keep the area for recreational use please .
This an ideal opportunity to provide Nairn with a properly planned green space, sports hub incorporating the desperate need for outdoor training facilities for the community, football pitch and athletics facilities. We do need more housing in Nairn but would shoe horning a development of 20 homes be the right thing to do simply to make the financing of such a project stack up? And what traffic impact would a sports hub have compared to a restricted housing development. Playing devil’s advocate but these are considerations which need to be weighed up properly.
Another scam to steal common good land. The showfield has for years been used for football development an events such as Circus and more, building houses is just going to cause congestion, there are more suitable places in and around Nairn. The only people that would benefit from this are the developers and council with their backhanders and alike.
NO! NO! NO!
There are plans to build lots of houses on the outskirts of Nairn providing hundreds of homes, there is no need to take away a green place that is utilised by many people in order to build another 20. Absolutely no need to build on every bit of green space left.
The infrastructure cannot cope with the traffic now. Build the bypass and then reassess the housing demand.
Leave the show field alone, its common good land and should stay that way, plenty of places on outskirts of nairn to build houses no need to take away green space that everyone enjoys using, plus it would make walking to the high street more hazardous with the extra cars, school kids can safely walk to and from school away from the main road and all the cars but not if you put houses there. Spend the money on building a new academy that will be fit for purpose and get the bypass built before building more houses. NO! NO! NO!