Council to consider plans for first phase of investment in Dingwall as part of Highland Investment Plan
Members will be asked to agree the proposed location for a Community Point of Service Delivery (POD) development in Dingwall and allocate £150,000 from the approved capital programme towards the flood mitigation work being carried out for the River Peffery in Dingwall, as part of a first phase of the Council’s £2.1bn Highland Investment Plan.
The Highland Investment Plan (HIP) commits £2.1 billion of capital funding over a twenty-year period to tackle the major challenges that Highland Council faces with transport and roads, ageing depots, offices, schools and community facilities across Highland communities.
A series of engagement events have been held to consider priorities for the Dingwall and Seaforth area, and opportunities for better use of buildings and co-location. The initial feedback has been generally supportive of the longer-term strategic approach and the concept of a community POD, as well as the need for facilities to support tourism.
Relocating the Primary School to a larger site would allow other co-located facilities to be included as part of an overall design layout. It should be noted that a statutory consultation would not be required for Dingwall Primary School to be located on this site. However, a statutory consultation for the relocation of St Clement’s School would be required if the preferred option was for the school to be co-located on this site.
A further sum of £150,000 to the ongoing flood mitigation works, will offer a strategic, nature-based solution to some of the risks to the town from flooding on the River Peffery. This will help unlock some of the planning issues at Dingwall Business Park, which will have a wider economic development to the whole town. Member agreement will be sought to fund this from existing budget allocations within the approved capital programme.
Highland Council Convener Bill Lobban said: “Dingwall is recognised for its community spirit, but is facing similar challenges to other parts of Highland, including reduced commercial presence and outward migration. The ongoing collaborative process has helped to inform the development of potential solutions which could make best use of local assets and improve service delivery in Dingwall, ensuring effective and more accessible services to meet local community needs.”
Leader Raymond Bremner said: “There are significant opportunities for inward investment and development in this area, especially given the importance of this location within the Green Freeport and associated job creation. It is important that we take a strategic approach to leveraging Dingwall's location and assets for energy transition, carbon reduction, and addressing the climate challenges. We need investment in the region’s supporting infrastructure, and to build in to this the design for better local access to coordinated and sustainable services.”
Chair of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee Cllr Ken Gowans added: “It is important to attract, retain, and support residents and visitors, positioning Dingwall as a destination in its own right, with the best possible facilities, services, schools, and housing.”
Members will be asked to agree the proposed location for a Community POD development in Dingwall and to commence discussions with the landowner regarding the future purchase of the required site area.
Members will also be asked to note the progress in identifying the short-list of options to be taken forward to the next stage of the options appraisal process for the Community POD location in Thurso and that the Stage 3 outcome will be reported to the Council meeting in June 2025.
The outcomes from Stage 2 of the options appraisal process for each of the five other prioritised Phase 1 locations at Alness, Brora, Dornoch, Golspie and Invergordon will be reported to Council on a phased basis throughout the course of 2025.
Funding of the Highland Investment Plan will form part of the Council tax and budget decisions on 6 March 2025.
The full report can be found here (Item 4).
More information on the Highland Investment Plan can be found on the Council’s website:
https://www.highland.gov.uk/highlandinvestmentplan
Watch our video on Reconfiguring our asset base here.