Figure 1: Map 31, Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2, page 278, published for consultation on 25th March 2023
Nairn’s town centre is identified as having potential development opportunity across mixed uses: housing; business; retail; and community. Potential for 20 new houses is identified over an area of 4.6. Reference Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2, page 280.
The Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2 identifies the Town Centre development area as the area between the A96 and the High Street, framed to the North by St Ninian Road (A96) and to the South by Leopold Street, and extending to include the Fire Station and bus station as far as this ground bounds onto Viewfield.
Is this how you view the Town Centre? Do you think the High Street experience should extend down Harbour Street to the harbour shops, café and restaurant, and encompass the remaining commercial activity here? Perhaps the High Street experience needs to extend to the harbour to aid mobility through the town, from the train station to the beach?
Can the Town Centre be enhanced to foster Active Travel within a Green, Resilient Nairn whilst attracting and promoting employment and business growth?
We would love to know what you think to best support Nairnshire’s Local Place Plan. You can contact us directly at lpp@nicenairn.org.uk or leave your comment below.
No point in considering any plans until the bypass is a reality and can take the pressure off the town centre. When that’s happend then is the time to look at detailed plans.
Housing – no, enough planned already. To develop more in the Fishertown area particularly would detract from the character and add more congestion to the roads in the area.
I’ve only been living in Nairn for 24 yrs but it’s changed so much in that time – not all for the good – and even I can see it’s losing it’s character.
STOP building more houses if you can’t also build more primary schools, more shops and a better doctors surgery. The primary schools, nurseries, shops and doctors surgery are all seriously stretched as it is without adding more houses and families to the area.
No leave it alone
Housing development should be focused on :-
Sandown North East
Nairn East
Sandown Remainder
Nairn South
& in that order
The town centre should:
Demolish old social work building’s
Smarten up Area around carparks
Encourage Artesian shops/experiencing in the town, Cafe’s, good eating daytime and evenings. Shops and facilities that encourage visitors and support tourism.
Electric charging facilities everywhere
Extend voluntary parking fee scheme in all locations, note voluntary.
Make carparks Campervan friendly in all locations, encourage ‘Park and Spend’
Light up buildings, light up all public areas.
Encourage alfresco dining and shelters at all dining places.
Jimmy Ferguson
I. too, have been in Nairn for 24 years and have seen it change so much in that time and not for the better. Nairn is a seaside town relying on tourists and any more buildings would detract from it even more. The bypass is needed first before you think of any major building in Nairn and then only if the schools, doctors etc can cope and they aren’t just now. The infrastructure is your prime concern as it is just not there. Nairn needs green space! There are shops where there is empty possible accommodation above them where help to the owners could be available to make them habitable. No property should be left empty when people need accommodation!
Something needs to be done about all the empty properties on the High Street. They are not maintained by their owners & they effect the whole appearance, atmosphere & image of the High Street. They are not fit for any new businesses to take over. As long as the owners continue to get away with this, our High Street will not improve. Our councillors need to do something about the buildings & the owners. The empty buildings are falling apart & look a disgrace.
No more residential housing – Nairn does not have the requisite infrastructure to support. Many empty commercial properties on High Street already – address this first before considering Fishertown. The priority for Nairn is the bypass – and has been for many years – traffic congestion is horrendous – be interesting to know what the current air pollution levels are….?
Nairnite for 40 years and Nairn definitely needs more affordable housing. I would love the opportunity to buy a 1 or 2 bedroom house, not everyone wants to live in a flat. The bypass issue has been ongoing for as long as I have been alive haha but it’s much needed. A Lidl or Aldi would be great. A speed camera at the crossroads of A96/Sandown road as trying to cross there with/without dogs is so dangerous with the speed of most vehicles, they’re definitely not doing 40mph. A shower positioned somewhere on the beach.
Before thinking of building on the showfield, thereby permanently depriving a growing town of its diminishing precious green spaces, I suggest a close look at the properties above shops in the High Street. The upper storeys of these buildings are really attractive, many with beautiful architectural features currently only enjoyed by the pigeons and gulls as they’re left to crumble . A refurbishment programme could provide accommodation for many, with good amenities on hand, and enhance the appearance of the town.
Nairn has approximately 14,000 cars passing through on a daily basis, who would possibly consider ‘extending’ the town centre across that road!!! You try turning right onto the A96 from any junction in Nairn and you struggle getting out never mind turning right at the top of Harbour Street!!
I live in Fishertown and love it but over the years it has become rammed with cars, new builds squeezed into ever smaller spaces, property owners extending upwards/outwards, boy racers still trying to use Harbour Street as their own speedway track, the river paths in a state of disrepair, there is only room for the rats that are now residing in ever increasing numbers along the riverside/boat sheds/fishertown due to the lack of interest by the powers that be to sort everything out!!
houses should only be built for existing population that needs it.
nairns service infrastructure , schools,doctors,dentists is already rammed.
more toilets req.
compulsary purchase of vacant buidings for repuosing.
All green spaces should be protected.
The empty existing shops on the High Street are obviously too expensive for them to be viable businesses. A fair proportion of the High Street is economically derelict. More shops won’t help this but only exacerbate the problem. The green spaces in Nairn is the reason why people love Nairn, and come to Nairn. losing them would be an enormous loss to the community. Would you want to live in Elgin? overcrowded, over built and unpleasant. No thanks, let us conserve and make better use of the empty buildings we have. Let’s make them affordable for small businesses.
How many cups of coffee can you drink in a day?