Nairn Ward Forum
Agenda
Action Note of Nairn Ward Forum held on Wednesday 24 November 2010 at 7.00 pm in the Chamber, the Court House, Nairn.
Attendees
Provost Laurie Fraser, Nairn Ward, Highland Council (LF)
Councillor Liz MacDonald, Nairn Ward, Highland Council (LM)
Councillor Graham Marsden, Nairn Ward, Highland Council (GM)
Councillor A S Park, Nairn Ward, Convener of Highland Council (SP)
Sheena Baker, Association of Nairn Businesses (SB)
Inspector Willie MacLennan, Northern Constabulary (WM)
Louise Clark, Ward Manager, Highland Council (LC)
Iain Fairweather, Tourism Sector (IF)
John Mackie, Secretary, Nairn Suburban Community Council (JM)
Roger Milton, Secretary, Auldearn Community Council (RM)
Rosemary Young, Chairperson, Nairn West Community Council
Iain Bain, Editor, Nairnshire Telegraph
Maureen MacKenzie, Administrative Assistant, Highland Council – Minute
Carol Clark, Nairn River Community Council
Jimmy Ferguson, Nairn West Community Council (JF)
Tommy Hogg, Nairn River Community Council
Brian Stewart, Nairn West Community Council (BS)
Graham Vine, Treasurer, Nairn West Community Council (GV)
and 13 members of the public
Nairn Youth Forum:
Amy Riley - Chairperson
Niall McCulloch – Vice Chairman
Rowena Carlton – Member of Scottish Youth Parliament
Christie Fullerton, Youth Development Officer, ECS
and 11 members of the Youth Forum
Also in Attendance:-
Superintendent Ian Arnott, Northern Constabulary (IA)
Gemma Mackintosh, Highland Youth Convener
Douglas Wilby, Senior Leisure & Learning Officer, ECS
1. Apologies:
Apologies for absence were received from Liz Bow, Nairn Access Panel; Edward Chambers, Council for Voluntary Service Nairn; William Gilfillan, Corporate Manager, INBS; Debbie MacBean, Chairperson, East Nairnshire Community Council; Campbell Mair, Practice Manager, Lodgehill Clinic; Margaret Robertson, Chairperson, Cawdor & West Nairnshire Community Council and Mrs J Tolmie Chairperson, Nairn River Community Council.
The meeting was jointly chaired by Provost Laurie Fraser and Amy Riley, Chairperson of Nairn Youth Forum. The Provost welcomed Superintendent Arnott and members of Nairn Youth Forum to the meeting.
2. Minute of the Previous Meeting
The Minute of the Previous Meeting held on 29 September 2010 was APPROVED as a true record.
3. Matters Arising
There being no matters arising the Chairman went on to the next item on the Agenda.
4. Nairn Developments
LC, in the absence of William Gilfillan, gave the following update:-
4.1 Nairn Town Centre
The consultation period for the Development Brief had been extended to 1 February 2011 as requested by Nairn Improvement Community Enterprise (NICE).
The Development Brief Design Workshop was held on Monday 22 November with 19 participants. Calum MacLean, Architect, facilitated the event and 3-D plans of ideas brought forward would be put on display shortly in the Court House. SP commented that the event had been most useful and he looked forward to the next meeting. SP added however that he been disappointed with the low number of High Street retailers who had attended and hoped this would increase for future meetings.
The Council’s Nairn Town Centre Project Group meets on Thursday to agree the schedule and how to disseminate the information (ie electronically). Although Planning Officers will give this piece of work a high priority, it must be balanced against a range of other important tasks they are fulfilling across Highland. A significant extension to the consultation period (way beyond normal statutory timescales) has been agreed on the clear understanding that those representing NICE require more time to seek out potential new sources of funding. It also recognises the strength of public feeling in Nairn that all interested parties should work closely together to get the best solution possible. It is worth emphasising that all planning documents go through a monitoring and review process, so there can be changes to the Development Brief if circumstances change over time or new proposals emerge. However, as stated at the previous Ward Forum by William Gilfillan, the Development Brief, whilst articulating the desires of the people of Nairn, must also be realistic and affordable. Therefore, there will be another opportunity to feed into the consultation process at the next Ward Forum on 26 January when a near final Development Brief will be presented. We hope to arrange for Calum MacLean to attend.
The Co-op replied to William Gilfillan’s letter that they were keen to attend the Design Workshop but were unable to attend on the date chosen. They have commented on the first draft of the Development Brief that they were happy that the Regal Bar would become retail with flats above and that the site be marketed along with the Development Brief. They also advised that they felt they had adequate car parking for their particular size of store so they would be happy to market the filling station site as well. They have not yet had the opportunity of seeing the next draft (comments from the Design Workshop) but they have asked to be kept informed of progress.
4.2 Sandown
William Gilfillan had indicated that the Council was still negotiating with Deveron Homes but he hoped a conclusion would be reached shortly.
4.3 Streetscape
• The streetscape works finished on programme.
• Several instances of ponding had been dealt with through the snagging period.
• There is currently a marketing campaign on Moray Firth Radio arranged by the Association of Nairn Businesses with financial assistance from Highland Council.
• Thanks were due to the Stakeholder Group who greatly assisted in the smooth operation of the contract.
The Provost thanked Louise for this update.
LM suggested that a letter of invitation be sent to the Co-op to attend the next meeting of the Ward Forum on 26 January to discuss the Development Brief. This was AGREED.
ACTION: LC to send letter of invitation to the Co-op to attend the Ward Forum Meeting on 26 January.
4.4 Nairn By-Pass
SP reported that officers are keeping the pressure on and the By-Pass is always on the agenda for meetings with the Transport Minister, Stewart Stevenson, however there was nothing new to report at this time.
SP commented that he had spoken to Transport Scotland regarding traffic counting on the Croy-Cawdor-Geddes-Auldearn Road as highlighted by Brian Stewart at the previous meeting. SP added that Transport Scotland had stated that this was not part of their remit but they would include Mr Stewart’s comments in their findings.
5. Nairn Ward Discretionary Budget
LC reported that the Ward Discretionary Budget for 2010-2011 remained at £59,659 and to date 18 projects, amounting to £25,232 had been agreed, which had attracted match funding of £148,601.
LC added that she would be happy to discuss any potential projects with individuals and groups.
6. Community Safety
Inspector Willie MacLennan gave the following update:-
6.1 Areas of Interest:-
• Winter driving – leaflets were available in the waiting area
• “PDS” Parcel Scam – prevalent throughout the country but no cases in Nairn to date
• Auto-bank Skimmer Scan – criminals are using a minute camera to record PIN numbers and then an electronic scanner to read cards. WM asked the public to be vigilant and report anything suspicious to the police
• Traffic Wardens – in response to a number of complaints from the public, traffic wardens patrolled Nairn town centre recently and a number of parking tickets were issued. WM hoped this would encourage drivers to park legally in the future and not in disabled or loading bays
6.2 Incidents and Trends:-
• WM highlighted crime figures which had fallen since last year eg thefts had fallen from 17 to 14 incidents; vandalism had fallen from 14 to 9; and road traffic offences had fallen from 37 to 25
6.3 Operations and Initiatives:-
• Operation Round-up – an initiative to tackle underage drinking by marking bottles so culprits can be identified
• Farm Watch – an initiative to tackle theft of machinery etc at local farms. WM has made contact with the Nairnshire Farming Society and the National Farmers Union and is awaiting contact details to finalise arrangements
• Nairn Academy “Driving Ambition” – a multi-agency initiative between Northern Constabulary and Highland & Islands Fire & Rescue Services aimed at young drivers
• Festive Drink Driving – a national campaign to highlight to drivers that you cannot drink and drive
WM then introduced Superintendent Ian Arnott.
Superintendent Arnott extended his thanks to the Members for attending the official opening of the new Police Station adding that it was a fantastic building to deliver policing from over the next number of years. IA also expressed his thanks to the Elected Members for their support in delivering the building.
IA then commented on the unprecedented financial challenge the Police Board was facing regarding setting budgets for the next few years but wished to reassure the public that officer numbers would remain as high as possible. IA added, however, that one proposed impact on the Nairn Police Station could be restricted public caller opening hours.
LF enquired if there would be a reduction in the number of officers given the reduction of crime in the area. IA commented that this would not be the case and as a community police force they were delighted to retain high detection figures.
A member of the Youth Forum enquired if the public were being educated about the scams previously mentioned. WM responded that the Police were highlighting these problems through Community Councils, the local paper and this Ward Forum.
The Provost thanked both Inspector MacLennan and Superintendent Arnott for their updates.
7. “It’s All About Youth” – hosted by Nairn Youth Forum
7.1 Nairn Youth Forum Powerpoint Presentation
Short presentation by Amy Riley and Niall McCulloch outlining the work carried out by Nairn Youth Forum
7.2 Highland Council’s Youth Development work within Nairn (Christie
Fullerton)
Christie gave a short description of her areas of responsibility.
7.3 Highland Youth Voice – Highland Youth Parliament
• Two conferences a year; Badaguish and Sabhl Mor Ostaig
Short presentation by Stuart Davidson and Bethany Goodwin.
7.4 Scottish Youth Parliament
Rowena Carlton reported on her experience with the Scottish Youth Parliament and an interesting debate she had been involved in regarding a vote on Devolved Government. She had also been involved in a motion to introduce politics as a mandatory subject on the school curriculum for first and second year pupils.
7.5 Budget Consultation
Stuart Davidson and Katie Shirreffs outlined how members of Nairn Youth Forum had canvassed their schoolmates on the Highland Council’s budget consultation and circulated examples of comments received. Their responses had been fed into the HC Budget Meeting which took place in Nairn on 30 June 2010.
7.6 Youth related issues in Nairn.
Sean Wilson and Finlay Allmond outlined various other youth related issues eg :-
• Youth Services
• Youth Events
• Christmas Parade
7.7 Area Visit from Inverness Youth Forum
Aimee Lee Stewart and Zoe Finlayson gave a brief presentation on the Area Visit from Inverness Youth Forum.
There was then an opportunity for general discussion/questions.
SP commented that the Budget Consultation which had taken place at Sabhl Mor Ostaig was one of the most interesting events which had taken place throughout the Highland Council area. SP added that the youngsters had been very constructive and he had been most impressed.
GV added that hopefully the new Rules coming in for the operation of Community Councils will allow for 16-year olds to be full Members and would encourage youngsters here to get involved and be nominated.
Jimmy Ferguson highlighted that the Highlands lose a lot of young people each year to other areas; and then return when they are older. JF asked what the Youth Forum thought was missing or what we could do to retain youngsters in the area.
Sean Wilson, Nairn Youth Forum, commented that youngsters moved from the area for a variety of reasons eg:-
• Lack of jobs; but probably more important than jobs is the fact that it is a rural area and other than lovely countryside there is not a lot for youngsters to do
• Youngsters wish to experience other parts of life
• Big cities have more diversity and better facilities
Jimmy Ferguson thanked Sean for his excellent answer and enquired what could be done to change this trend?
Sean Wilson responded that Youth Forums are trying to make a difference; and enhanced facilities and investment in the area would be beneficial. Rowena Carlton added that universities, with the resultant social life, are primarily in the central belt, however the Youth Forum is trying to improve social activities in Nairn eg the Nairn Youth Café. Rowena added however that youngsters will always want to move from their home town and experience other places.
SP pointed out that there is a University in Inverness. Sean Wilson commented that whereas local youngsters wished to move away, the University may attract youngsters from outwith the area to Inverness.
Gemma Mackintosh commented that as a former member of Nairn Youth Forum (now a member of Inverness Youth Forum), Nairn Youth Forum did a fantastic job, with a lot of enthusiastic members and is looked on as an excellent model for other Youth Forums.
CF thanked all the members of the Youth Forum for doing such a fantastic job and making her job much easier as well.
The Provost added his thanks for a highly informative and entertaining presentation; and commented that hopefully a future Provost or Councillor for Nairn would come out of their ranks.
8. Open Question and Answer Session
8.1 Nairn Common Good Fund
Graham Vine requested clarification on the control of Common Good monies given that contradictory information had previously been received from the Corporate Manager and the Convener. GV added that the Convener had previously expressed the opinion that “the Common Good Fund should be under the control of people who are accountable” whereas William Gilfillan had stated that “control of the Common Good Fund fell to the full 80 Highland Council Members”.
The Convener replied that in the past decisions on the Common Good Fund have been taken at a local level and then gone to the full Highland Council for ratification. SP added that the full HC had always had the power to veto decisions but had never gone against the Nairn Members’ recommendations and he was confident that this would continue in the future. SP added that Nairn Common Good Fund monies are ring-fenced to the Royal Burgh of Nairn, so cannot be spent in any other area.
GV thanked SP for his explanation and expressed the hope that Nairn Councillors would guarantee to fight any potential spend of Common Good monies outwith the Royal Burgh of Nairn.
9. AOCB
There being no items for discussion, the Chair moved on to the next item on the Agenda.
10. Date of Next Meeting
The next meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 26 January 2011 at 7.00 pm.
The meeting closed at 8.30 pm with the Provost thanking the Youth Forum for an excellent presentation.