Thurso community Point of Delivery (PoD)

The overall vision

You said:

• The Thurso Community PoD must be more than just a replacement school
• It should serve the whole community - children, young people, families, older residents, and visitors

We heard:

• There is strong support for a shared civic facility, provided education remains central and protected
• People want a place that feels open, welcoming and owned by the community, not just a school site

What this means next:

• The PoD will be planned as education‑led, with carefully designed community access
• Community use, accessibility, and affordability will be considered from the start, not added later

Education: getting the basics right

You said:

• Quality of education is the single most important priority
• Many people are concerned about very large campuses and mixing primary and secondary pupils
• There is no single preferred school layout, but strong views about safety, scale and travel

We heard:

• People value:
  • Safe, age‑appropriate environments
  • Clear school identity
  • Children being known and supported
• Concerns were raised about:
  • Large sites becoming overwhelming
  • Traffic and drop‑off pressures
  • The experience of younger children on shared campuses

What this means next:

Any future education layout will need to:

• Clearly protect children’s day‑to‑day experience
• Demonstrate how pupils of different ages are kept safe and separate where needed
• Show how design supports learning, wellbeing and belonging

Additional Support Needs (ASN), neurodiversity and disability

You said:

• ASN and disability provision must be central, not an afterthought
• Existing facilities do not always meet need
• The design of spaces (layout, light, sound, dignity) really matters

We heard:

This was one of the strongest and most consistent themes in the consultation. People asked for:

• Sensory and calm spaces
• Changing Places facilities
• Thoughtful acoustics and lighting
• Respectful placement of ASN provision, avoiding stigma
• Families also raised the importance of good transitions from school to adult services

What this means next:

• Inclusive design principles will be built into early design stages
• ASN users, families and professionals will be actively involved in shaping spaces
• The PoD will consider both children and adults with additional needs, not just school provision

Sport and leisure

You said:

• Thurso and Caithness lack indoor and all‑weather facilities, especially in winter
• Clubs struggle with access, storage, affordability, and holiday closures
• Key gaps include:
  • A large, multi‑court games hall
  • Gymnastics and dance spaces with sprung flooring
  • All‑weather pitches, including hockey
  • A 400m athletic track

We heard:

• Sport and leisure is a top priority across all ages
• There is concern that new provision could:
  • Replace or weaken existing facilities
  • Be too expensive for local clubs
  • Be unavailable outside school hours

What this means next:

• Sport facilities will be planned for parallel school and community use
• Affordability, storage, and club access will be key design considerations
• New provision should complement, not undermine, existing facilities
• Opportunities to stimulate community led activism and 3rd party funding

Arts, culture and community events

You said:

• Thurso lacks a proper performance and events venue
• The High School hall currently fills this gap, but this is fragile
• Wick High School’s hall is often cited as an example of what not to repeat

We heard:

There is strong support for:

• A performance space with a proper stage
• Seating for 400+ people
• Smaller bookable rooms for rehearsals, meetings and groups
• Arts and culture are seen as vital to community identity and wellbeing

What this means next:

• Options for a fit‑for‑purpose performance space will be explored early
• Local arts and cultural groups will be directly involved in shaping requirements

Wellbeing, social space and young people

You said:

• Thurso needs more safe, warm, non‑commercial spaces where people can meet
• Teenagers need places to go that are not just sports‑based
• Older people and carers face isolation, particularly in winter

We heard:

Clear demand for:

• Community rooms and meeting spaces
• Youth spaces designed with young people
• Wellbeing and mental health support (with appropriate safeguards)
• Cost and availability are as important as the buildings themselves

What this means next:

• Community and wellbeing space will be treated as essential infrastructure
• Spaces will be designed so school use and community use can co‑exist safely
• Partnership working with UHI and third‑sector organisations will be explored

Links with UHI North, West and Hebrides

You said:

• Stronger links with UHI could benefit older pupils and future pathways
• There are also concerns about scale, safeguarding and age mix

We heard:

Support focuses on:

• Wider subject choices
• Smoother transitions after school
• Helping young people stay local

Concerns focus on:

• Safeguarding
• Loss of focus on schools
• Over - centralisation

What this means next:

• Any closer links will focus primarily on secondary and post‑school learners
• Safeguarding and access arrangements will be clearly designed and communicated

Accessibility, transport and location

You said:

• Not everyone can drive or travel easily
• Centralising everything risks excluding some people
• Traffic and access at Ormlie Road is a serious concern

We heard:

• Travel distance matters a lot for some people and less for others
• Walking routes, public transport, and safe access are just as important as parking

What this means next:

• Transport and access will be considered alongside building design
• Options will be tested to ensure older residents, disabled users and families without cars are not disadvantaged

Trust, communication and what happens next

You said:

• People want reassurance that engagement genuinely influences decisions
• There is worry about repeating mistakes made elsewhere
• There are concerns about what happens to existing buildings

We heard:

• Trust depends on seeing clear evidence of impact, not just consultation
• Many people still want clearer information on what a “PoD” actually means

What this means next:

Future updates will:

• Show how feedback has shaped decisions
• Be written in plain language
• Explain next stages clearly and honestly
• The future of existing buildings will be addressed openly as plans develop