Council warns motorists to put the brakes on near Skye school.
Motorists on the Isle of Skye are being warned that permanent 20mph speed restrictions are being introduced at another school for children’s safety.
VoteScotland takes to the road in a drive to encourage people to vote on 3 May
A major campaign to encourage people to make their voice heard on 3 May is taking to the road to cover the length and breadth of Scotland to drive home the voting message.
Council seeks language assistants to help new residents.
The Highland Council is seeking three members of staff to provide language support to families new to the Scottish language and culture.
Young Highland musicians pull off impressive performances.
Three groups of young Highland musicians have recently performed at two venues in the Highlands attracting audiences in excess of 800 people and the commendation of a Scottish composer.
Support For Fort William Waterfront
Members of The Highland Council’s Lochaber Area Committee have voiced their support for the selection of Fort William Waterfront Ltd as the preferred developer in the acquisition of The Highland Council's interests at the Waterfront, Fort William.
Cadets To Beat The Retreat In City Centre
The centre of Inverness will resound with the sound of pipes and drums next weekend when 100 army, air training and sea cadets Beat the Retreat in front of Inverness town house on Saturday 7 April.
New Rector of Millburn Academy, Inverness
The Highland Council has appointed a new Rector at Millburn Academy, Inverness.
Trading Standards Renew Warning to Shopkeepers following Convictions
Trading Standards officers have warned shopkeepers that they intend to maintain their test purchasing programmes to weed out those who sell cigarettes to children under 16.
Launch of Highlands and Islands Pathfinder Broadband Procurement Project
Pupils at Crown Primary School, Inverness, are the first in the Highlands and Islands to benefit from a £70 million investment in high capacity broadband links, which will revolutionise the access and delivery of teaching methods and learning support for pupils and staff.
New Council office for Caithness
The process for the development of a new Highland Council office in Wick took a step further forward this week when members of the Council’s Resources Committee agreed to ask four developers to submit outline solutions for the development to the Council.
Rangers hunt the gowk at Reelig Glen
Children are being invited to join The Highland Council and Forestry Commission Rangers to ‘Hunt the Gowk’ in Reelig Glen this Sunday 1st April.
Launch of the Neil Gunn Writing Competition
Cash prizes for aspiring writers are being offered as The Highland Council launches the 2007 Neil Gunn Writing Competition.
Spreading The Child Protection Message
Scotmid and Morning, Noon & Night stores are lending their support to the Scottish Executive’s Child Protection Awareness campaign by distributing “HELP” campaign booklets to shoppers.
Council supports butterfly survey
Highland Council’s Biodiversity Officer is urging people in the Highlands to keep their eyes peeled from early April onwards for a butterfly whose distribution could be affected by climate change.
New Director of ECS Appointed by The Highland Council
The Highland Council has appointed a new Director of Education Culture and Sport. He is Hugh Fraser, the Council’s Head of Support Services since 2002.
A Chamber Of Cellists And Bassists
100 young cellists and bassists from the length and breadth of the Highlands gathered in Inverness earlier this week for a day of group playing, workshops and masterclasses.
Retiral of Highland’s Chief Registration Officer
The Chief Registrar in the Highlands, who has married hundreds of couples in the Inverness area and overseen major improvements to the Registration Service, bows out today (Friday) after 34 years service.
Roadworks Around Inverness Town House
Roadworks are due to commence on Monday 26 March 2007 in the vicinity of the Town House as part of the City Centre improvement works. These works are scheduled to take around 18 weeks to complete but temporary traffic management should only be required for six of those weeks, depending on the findings of initial site investigations.
Critters at Latheronwheel
Latheronwheel was the meeting place for the Caithness Critters last weekend.
Preferred Developer Chosen for the Acquisition of the Highland Council's Interests at Fort William Waterfront
A consortium called Fort William Waterfront Limited (FWWL) has been chosen as the preferred developer in the acquisition of The Highland Council's interests at the Waterfront Fort William with a view to developing the Waterfront area.
Public Urged To Be On Their Guard Against Romanian Street Traders Selling Fake Gold Jewellery
The Highland Council’s Trading Standards Unit and Northern Constabulary are urging the public to be on their guard against Romanian street traders who are operating in the Highlands.
Council Unconvinced of Benefits of Marine National Park
The Highland Council remains unconvinced of the benefits of the creation of Scotland’s first Coastal and Marine National Park.
Highland Archive Funding in place.
The Highland Council has today announced that the final piece of the £10.2 million funding jigsaw for the cost of a new Highland Archive centre has been awarded.
Energy Efficency Drive Saves Council Money
When faced with an expected £6 million energy bill The Highland Council set up an Energy Management Working Group with a remit to develop a 10- year strategy for energy management in Council properties.
Scottish Parliament and The Highland Council Elections Called
The Scottish Parliament and The Highland Council elections will be called tomorrow (Thursday) when public notices seeking nominations from candidates will be published by the Regional Returning Officer. The deadline for nominations is 4.00 pm on Wednesday 11 April.
Ross & Cromarty Readers’ Day
Five Highland authors will be guests of honour at a special Ross and Cromarty Readers’ Day to be held in Strathpeffer on Sunday 1 April as part of the 2007 Year of Highland Culture celebrations.
Exhibition Premiere And Skye & Lochalsh Reader Day
A new exhibition entitled “Weaving With Words” will be launched in Portree, Isle of Skye on Saturday (24 March) to coincide with a special Readers Day organised by Highland Libraries authors to celebrate books and reading.
Anatomy Acts – A New Exhibition Combining Art and Science
A new touring exhibition called Anatomy Acts which explores the human body inside and out will be coming to Inverness following a successful visit to the Swanson Gallery in Thurso.
Eat Safe Award Presented To North Kessock Tearoom
The White Cottage Tearoom in North Kessock is one of an increasing number of premises in the Highlands and indeed Scotland to be awarded an Eat Safe Award after demonstrating that its standards of food hygiene and food safety management are well above that required by legislation.
HMIe Report on Crown School
In an HMIe report on Crown Primary School, Inverness, the Inspectors judged that almost all aspects of the work of the school represented good or very good practice.
Scottish Youth Parliament Candidates for Highland
Two Highland candidates have been automatically elected to the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) while another nine will be vying for four further places when voting takes place on-line between Monday 26 March and Friday 30 March.
Young local golfers ready to swing into action
A grant, awarded by The Highland Promise, part of Highland 2007, Scotland's Year of Highland Culture, under its remit to introduce children to new activities, is helping pupils at Thurso High School to hone their skills in golf.
New primary school for Lochaline
A steering group meeting has been set up to discuss and manage the development of a £2.5 million environmentally sustainable new primary school for Lochaline as part of The Highland Council’s Capital Plan.
Highland Welcomes Homestake Expansion
The Highland Council welcomes Communities Minister Rhona Brankin’s announcement of £10 million funding to extend the open market Homestake pilot scheme to a further six local authority areas in Scotland.
Tribute Paid to Senior Planner on his Retirement
Mike Greaves retires today (Friday) after a distinguished career in planning and economic development, the last 34 years of which were spent in the Highlands. Mike, who lives in Drumnadrochit, is The Highland Council’s Head of Development and Strategy in the Planning and Development Service.
New Nursery opened at St. Bride's Primary School
A new nursery facility at St. Bride’s Primary School, Onich, together with a major refurbishment of the school, was formally opened today (Friday) by Councillor Andrew Anderson, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Committee.
Official Opening of Wester Ross Road
To celebrate the completion of the third and final stage of a £10 million project of improvements on the A832 Achnasheen to Kinlochewe road, pupils who had attended the official turf cutting ceremony in 2002 were invited back to take part in the official opening ceremony held earlier today (Friday 16 March).
Cairngorms National Park Authority Elections
Five community representatives have been elected to serve on the board of Cairngorms National Park Authority for the next four years.
Go Ahead for Design of Inverness Trunk Link Road
The Highland Council’s Transport Environmental and Community Services Committee today (Thursday) gave the green light to proceed with the design of the Inverness Trunk Link Road, which will bypass the south side of the City of Inverness and will link the A9 Perth road and the A96 Aberdeen road with the A82 Fort William road.
New City Manager for Inverness
The Highland Council has appointed a new City Manager for Inverness. He is David Haas, the Council’s Area Administrator for Inverness.
Tain ASDA Supermarket Planning Application
Following a hearings procedure held today (Wednesday 14 March 2007), members of The Highland Council’s Planning and Development Committee have approved an application by ASDA to build a supermarket with petrol station on a 6.5 hectare site in Tain.
New Book By Young Gaelic Writers
Schools throughout the Highlands are taking part in an ambitious project being delivered through a joint initiative by the Gaelic Books Council and The Highland Council.
Unlocking the Outdoor Classroom
A very successful ‘Unlocking the Outdoor Classroom’ training day took place atGlen Nevis on Thursday 8th March. The event, which was fully booked, attracted educators come from all over Scotland.
Election Helpline to go live on 22 March
An Elections Helpline will be available to the public from Thursday 22 March when nominations are invited for the Scottish Parliament and The Highland Council elections.
Public Workshop To Discuss Lochcarron Housing Development Brief
The Wester Ross Local Plan identified areas of land at Kirkton, Lochcarron for both affordable and private housing as well as a mixed use development, including a community leisure centre. This land is key to delivering up to 50 houses in Lochcarron over the next ten years.
Drivers urged to go slow near City schools.
Motorists in Inverness are being warned that permanent 20mph speed restrictions are being introduced near two more schools for children’s safety.
Council to Investigate Anti-Flooding Measure for Householders
In response to recent flooding incidents, The Highland Council is to investigate the use of mobile barriers for sealing individual houses.
Highland Council welcomes cash boost for Gaelic Education
The Highland Council welcomes the announcement from the Scottish Executive that Gaelic Medium education in the Highlands is to receive an additional £45,000 in the current financial year 2006/07 and £880,000 for 2007/08.
Superstore rejected on Ness-side, Inverness
Members of The Highland Council’s City of Inverness Planning Applications Committee today (13 March) unanimously refused an application for a district shopping centre, including a Tesco superstore, unit shops, petrol filling station and sites for hotel and doctors’ surgery on land at Ness-side, Dores Road, Inverness.
Temporary City Road Closures
There will be temporary traffic control on Old Perth Road, Inverness, between Millburn Roundabout and Culcabock Roundabout this week to allow tree works to take place.
Young Quality Scot Awards 2007
Talented and public spirited youngsters from around the country attended the Quality Scotland’s annual Young Quality Scot Awards which The Highland Council hosted at the Craigmonie Centre in Drumnadrochit on Friday 9 March.
Dumpers To Get On The Spot Fines
The Highland Council are to issue £50 Fixed Penalty Notices to people in the Inverness Area who break the law by illegally dumping their rubbish.
Kirkhill Pupils Clean Up
The Kirkhill Eco School committee sprung into action at the weekend to hunt down litter as part of the National Spring Clean 2007 event.
HMIe report on Canisbay Primary School, Caithness
A recently published HMIe report on Canisbay Primary School, Caithness has praised pupils’ attainment in English language and mathematic.
Massive mountain bike event
300 pupils from Black Isle primary schools (Avoch, Culbokie, Newhall, Cullicudden, Tore and Ferintosh) will have the chance this week to try pedal power when they take part in a unique local event introducing them to the exciting sport of Mountain Biking.
Work Starts on Final Phase of North Coast Road
Work began this week on the £3.4 million final phase of upgrading the A 836 North Coast road, between Melvich – Strathy, Sutherland.
Rangers put a spring in their step
Highland Council’s Countryside Rangers are inviting locals to join them on a woodland walk at Kiltarlity to celebrate the coming of Spring.
Capturing stories in Ross and Cromarty
A series of workshops will run throughout Highland 2007 – the year Scotland celebrates Highland culture - to give local communities in Ross and Cromarty the skills to capture the stories from their towns and villages.
Finding the Findhorn
Highland Council’s Countryside Rangers are inviting people to join them on a guided walk to “Find the Findhorn” on Saturday 24th March, 2007.
Roadworks on City roundabout
Motorists are being advised by The Highland Council that road works will commence today Monday 12th March, 2007 near Inshes roundabout in Inverness.
New partnership for Dornoch
A new initiative in Dornoch will be launched on Monday 2 April when customers will be able to access The Highland Council front line services, Sheriff Court services and Tourist Information services from the one building.
Skye and Lochalsh Project Wins Excellence Award
A Skye and Lochalsh project has won a top award at the annual Convention of Scottish Local Authorities’ Excellence Awards.
Go Ahead for Edinbane Wind Farm Application
Members of The Highland Council’s Planning Development Europe and Tourism Committee today (Friday) unanimously approved an application for planning permission for a wind farm development on the island of Skye.
Skye and Lochalsh Project Wins COSLA Excellence Award
A Skye and Lochalsh project has won a top award at the annual Convention of Scottish Local Authorities’ Excellence Awards.
Pan Highland local access forum conference
The second pan-Highland conference of Local Access Forums takes place in Inverness tomorrow (Friday 9th March, 2007).
Flood-Affected Dingwall Road Reopens
The Mitchell Hill cemetery access road in Dingwall, which has been closed since 26 October, last year due to a landslip, will reopen to vehicles and pedestrians from tomorrow (Thursday 8 March).
Dingwall to Invergordon Cycle Route gets on track.
The second phase of a new cycle route that will link Dingwall, Evanton, Alness and Invergordon is The second phase of a new cycle route that will link Dingwall, Evanton, Alness and Invergordon is due to get underway next week. due to get underway next week.
March is “Music Month” For Highland Musicians
March is going to be a busy month as the talented young musicians in three of The Highland Council’s Regional Music Groups prepare for public performances, one of which will feature a world premier of a score written to celebrate Highland 2007.
Council Welcomes Go Ahead for Final Phase of “Road to the Isles”
The Highland Council has warmly welcomed news that a contract has been let for the fifth and final phase of upgrading of the A 830 Mallaig – Lochailort road.
Highland pupils make history on the web.
A pioneering £35,000 interactive internet publishing initiative for pupils and teachers was introduced this week within The Highland Council’s national award winning website, Am Baile -www.ambaile.org.uk.
Assisting The Development Of Highland Enterprise
Directors of Highland Opportunity Limited, The Highland Council’s Enterprise Trust for the Highlands, recently held their Board meeting in Caithness and visited four successful local businesses which had all received financial assistance through their investment fund.
The Rhythm Is Going To Get You In Strathpeffer - An Opportunity To Dance Gabrielle Roth’s 5 Rhythms
If you have never danced before and you would love to dance in a way you never thought possible, or, you are an experienced dancer who wants to express yourself in your own unique way, then a 5 Rhythms® dance workshop in Strathpeffer on Saturday 17 March could be for you.
Blas Festival – substantial reductions for ‘early birds’
Catch worms if you want but what’s a more appealing option if you are an early bird is access to really attractive ticket prices for this year’s Blas Festival.
Temporary Road Closures During Inverness Half Marathon
The Inverness Half Marathon and Fun Run takes place on Sunday (11 March) so drivers in the city are being warned that temporary road closures will be in place during the event.
Environmental Hat-trick for Highland school.
A Highland primary school has marked up a hat-trick of awards for their endeavours for the environment.
Investment in Highlands and Islands Fire Stations Rises to £6 million
The go ahead for two new fire stations at Helmsdale and Scourie has brought the investment in new premises in the Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service area to more than £6 million over the past three years.
Focus on paths in Mid Ross
Members of the public are being invited to have their say on the development of a Core Paths Plan for Mid Ross.
Council Rangers get up with the Lark
Early risers are invited to join The Highland Council's rangers to experience the dawn on Saturday 10th March by the river Farr near Inverness.
Highland Council inspects Wick office
Members of the public are being advised that inspections will be carried out on the Council’s Area Office at Market Square, Wick during the week beginning Monday 5th March.
Inverness School Pupils Back Votescotland Campaign
First time voters from Inverness Royal Academy have given their backing to a major Scottish campaign which is encouraging and informing people how to register and cast their vote on 3 May 2007.
Huge response to Scottish house design competition
Well over 100 entries have been received for a pioneering competition that aims to set new standards in Scottish housing design.
Skye children celebrate World Book Day 2007
A story-time was held today (1st March) at Broadford Library hosted by Cindie Reiter, Highland Libraries Reader Development Co-ordinator to mark World Book Day.
New Head Teacher for Teanassie Primary School
A new Head Teacher has been appointed to the 68-pupil Teanassie Primary School.
New Head Teacher for Rosehall Primary
Miss Kirsten McGruer has been appointed Head Teacher of the 11-pupil Rosehall Primary School, Sutherland.
Lochardil Pupils Dominate at South Highland Primary Schools Badminton Championships
Bethany Black of Lochardil Primary School comfortably won the Girls Singles competition at the South Highland Primary Schools Badminton Championships held on Wednesday in Inverness with a 21–11 victory over her opponent Fiona Chatterton of Drakies Primary.