Fort William 2040 (FW2040)
Overview and public consultation
A Masterplan and Delivery Programme for Fort William and Lochaber
Fort William 2040 (FW2040) is an ongoing project to co-ordinate and deliver a shared Vision for the future of Fort William and Lochaber. This Vision and accompanying Masterplan and Delivery Programme, have been prepared with feedback gathered from consultation events held in 2018 and 2019 involving people living, working, and investing in the area. The FW2040 consultation process generated feedback on the place Fort William and the wider area could and should be.
Fort William Town Centre Masterplan & Deliverability Framework
Work is underway to develop a Master Plan and Deliverability Framework for the regeneration of Fort William town centre. This is a key component of the wider work of the Fort William 2040 Vision. This project focuses on a number of sites throughout the town centre with the ambition to:
- improve the quality of the urban environment
- strengthen connections to the Loch
- ensure resilience in the face of the climate emergency
- identify functions that can be introduced to repopulate and reinvigorate the town centre
The ambition is to transform Fort William Town Centre into a vibrant, textured, varied, safe and inclusive place to live, work and play.
View the Fort William Town Centre Masterplan Developed Brief
Further information will be available on this site as concept ideas are developed.
Contact regeneration@highland.gov.uk if you have any questions about this process.
Public Event - Wednesday 15 November 2023
On Wednesday 15 November 2023, the public are invited to attend the Fort William town centre masterplan engagement event at the Nevis Centre, Fort William from midday to 7:00pm as part of Lochaber Ideas Week.
Come along to see the first design concepts and initial ideas of how the town could look. Meet the project team and get involved to ensure all ideas and local input is considered at this key stage.
View the Public Exhibition Banners
Contact regeneration@highland.gov.uk to let us have your views on what you like about what you have seen, what you dislike, and anything you feel needs further consideration.
Wider Consultation on FW2040
While the Town Centre Masterplan, above, is a key component project, there is also a wider commitment to ongoing consultation on the range of individual projects that make up FW2040 as a whole. This will allow for consideration of new information on the delivery of projects, and ensure the Delivery Programme is on track and contributing to achieving the FW2040 Vision. This will also help identify any new projects that are in a position to be added to the Masterplan.
Public consultation events were not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. However, we were delighted that an event was once again able to be held in 2022. It took place on Wednesday 2 November 2022, in Caol Community Centre.
You can view more information about the event in our news article - Fort William 2040 public event hailed a success.
Two surveys were available at the Public Consultation Event:
- views on FW2040 overall
- views on ideas for Town Centre improvements
The deadline for returning these has now passed. Feedback has been collated and a summary report produced. This feedback will help shape the future direction of FW2040. There will be further reporting on wider progress with FW2040 to the Lochaber Area Committee this year.
Download copies of the two keynote presentations from the 2022 event, together with the feedback report below.