A mix of bad and goods news for the town this week,  the Chair of the ANB comments as follows :

Co-op not to expand as planned

The news that the Co-op only has an overhaul in mind for the Somerfield store hasn’t really come as any great surprise, it is disappointing that we have had to wait so long to hear it though.

Sainsbury’s arrival was always going to offer a get out clause for the Co-op and , while we welcome the news of their  investment  in  the  Nairn stores, the news will still be a  disappointment to those who have continually supported the principle of a larger scale development  in the town centre itself.

Whatever plans have been drafted for the remodelling of the existing store, I sincerely hope that consideration has been given to the adjacent derelict sites under their ownership. Having  pinned the blame for  their change of plans on the Highland Council’s  granting of  planning  permission to  Sainsbury’s , I hope that the management of the Co-op realise where the people of Nairn will be pinning the blame  if they don’t  do something with the Regal and former petrol station.

I also hope that the Highland Council will move promptly to ensure that their plan ‘B’ is effected as soon as possible. While it may be tempting for them to consider building flats, this would mean that a prime town centre site would be lost to any future plans that my well involve a better balanced use for the area. Everyone has waited a long time to see this redevelopment but it maybe that, until we can see an end to the current economic situation, the wisest thing to do would be to clear the site, increase the car parking facilities and improve the landscaping”

Good news on the bypass

On the back of the revelations about the reduction in scale of the town centre re-development    it was refreshing to hear some optimistic news about the town. I know how much work has been done behind the scenes by the local Councillors, Council officers and representatives of the ANB and Community Councils, in gradually moving the  bypass project to a point where real progress  on the preparatory stages  can be seen . Obviously budgetary constraints mean that it will be some time before we see excavations start but this news is very positive. The arrival of the extra four sets of traffic lights and a pedestrian crossing,  which  were a  condition attached to the permission granted for the new  Sainsbury’s store at Balmakeith, will inevitably increase calls for bypass programme to be pulled forward. Obviously we all look forward to quieter and safer roads in Nairn and we’ll just have to  struggle by in the meantime but,  as I pointed out in a letter supporting the bypass to the Transport Minister  , the increasing severity of the traffic bottleneck in Nairn means that transport links both east and west  are severely compromised.

How can the government realistically expect the businesses of Nairnshire , Inverness, Moray and beyond to work their way out of recession , if customers , staff and deliveries can’t get through the town anything like as  quickly as an old wifie on a bike?

A press realease from the Highland Council giving details of the arrangments for the temporary road closure of Nairn High Street, to allow re-surfacing works to take place

" Local businesses and residents in Nairn likely to most be affected by a temporary road closure on Nairn High Street have received a letter from W A Fairhurst, consulting engineers, on behalf of The Highland Council giving advance notice of temporary restrictions and providing details of arrangements which will be put in place to keep any disruption to a minimum.

From 11 October a temporary closure of the High Street will begin to allow the completion of carriageway resurfacing, which is part of the second phase of a £1.3 million package of town centre improvements.

The work on the High Street will be carried out in two sections; firstly the western end and then the eastern. Once the western end work is complete this section will open to delivery vehicles but not to HGVs. There will also be minor kerb realignment works at the foot of The Brae.

Following discussions with the Streetscape Stakeholders’ group, these two weeks of work from 11 October have been timed to take place during the school holidays to minimise any traffic disruption associated with the school run and during a traditionally quieter period for local businesses.

While the formal road closure covers a period of four weeks, it is not intended that the High Street will be closed for any longer than two weeks. The extra time has been built into the formal traffic order to allow flexibility should any unforeseen difficulties arise.

The closure will affect access for all vehicles including cyclists and will cover the full length of the High Street, from its junction with the A96 Aberdeen-Inverness trunk road (The Brae) to the junction with Leopold Street.

Residents and businesses affected have been notified about temporary arrangements for the collection of refuse and have been given details of who to contact should they have any questions or need any assistance.

A spokesman for the Council said:  “By giving the detailed information well ahead of the start date we hope any concerns and issues can be sorted out before work begins and I would like to thank everyone for their patience. We can all look forward to the benefits that the improvements on the High Street will bring to revitalise the heart of our town.”