Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Local Press review

‘When are the buses coming?’ is the demand that headlines the front page of the Nairnshire this week. John Mackie of the Suburban council is getting his teeth into timetable troubles again and wondering how folk wanting to get to see their GPs in the afternoon will fare when the Lodgehill clinic moves to the new hospital. There is plenty of information this week to get you up to speed with local bus issues. Here at the Gurn we feel that if people are ever to be weened out of their cars in the Nairn and Inverness area then the price of public transport will have to come down and come down a lot.

The West Community Council are now backing Murd Dunbar in his efforts to improve things at the Firhall Bridge, he just needs the Suburban on side now and he’ll have a full set of town community councils under his belt. Next to the article about the bridge project is an advert alerting us to the forthcoming Suburban Community Council elections, just as with the River Com C if more than five people put their names forward there will be an election.

Page 3 contains fears Nairn Rersidents’ Concern Group have over the Highland Council’s forthcoming involvement in the Sandown Public Inquiry, i.e. whether they are really up for it. Sandy Park dismisses this fear and thinks someone is being a bit ‘naughty’ here, you’ll have to get the paper to find out more.

Further down the page West Councillor Graham Vine is quoted as saying the he doesn’t support any attempt to reopen the Bailey Bridge to vehicular traffic. A sentiment that won’t go down well with River’s Jean Tolmie. The Gurnmeister has to admit that he prefers the Bailey Bridge the way it is now without cars to worry about. It just adds to the entire holiday atmosphere in that area, let’s leave it that way now!

On to page 5 and more from the West mob, this time details for their submission to the forthcoming public inquiry.

A very good letter this week from former Tory councillor and Provost of Nairn Nigel Graham. The Gurnmeister has had his run-ins with Nigel in the past but would recommend that the Nairnshire Liberation Movement co-opt him as a potential spiritual leader on account of his excellent letter this week.

Plenty of other stuff including details of curling and soccer achievements. Soccer is something we haven’t seen in Nairn for 8 or is it 9 or 10 weeks now? Football withdrawals have long since come and gone. Maybe sometime this month? Well done Kyle Whyte for his appearance in the Scotland U-17 squad and for scoring a goal too!

The Nairnshire, the ultimate 40p treat on a freezing Tuesday morning!

12 comments:

nairnbairn said...

Murd Dunbar is nobly doing the rounds of the three Community Councils to gather support for his campaign for the Firhall Bridge (which of course is used by residents from all parts of town).

Good for him. But this is yet more evidence - if it were needed - that the town ought to have a single, united, Community Council. Easier for active residents like Murd to share views and join forces, better for discussion, and a more effective way of lobbying the authorities.

Gurnites who agree should write to the Highland Council's review team - see details at http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/news/newsreleases/2009/September/2009-09-18-01.htm - to support the idea of a unified CC. There needs to be public pressure for reform to happen.

Sardonic said...

I don't recall ever agreeing with Councillor Graham Vine before, but I too would like to support the call for the Bailey Bridge to remain a pedestrian area

The narrow footpath on the bridge meant that many folk with prams and young families often walked on the road part of the bridge anyway

As a cyclist I also appreciate the closure to cars. It means bikes leaving the river cycle path can continue safely over the bridge, an important safety net for young cyclists

And thirdly (sorry boys and girls) it stops boy racers from having a circuit. I appreciate that they still use the harbour, but when the bridge was open to traffic they also used to speed up and down Maggot Road

If the bridge were to reopen, I can also see that it would become a bit of a rat run for the new residents of the Maggot flats (Riverside View?) as they tried to avoid the awful junction that will meet them each morning beside Peter Greens (Maggot Road/A96 junction)

Bluebird said...

Fishertown folks have been asking the same questions for a long time,
with regards to the bus service.But
unfortunately no one has yet given a positive response.Time for a rethink?

Anonymous said...

Sardonic make an interesting point with regard the re opening of the Bailey Bridge, that of traffic.
I hold the suspicion that the West Council only reformed to fight the Sandown issue and its involvement in other matters is just to try and legitimise its new existence.
I was trying to fathom as to why Mr Vine might oppose the re opening of the Bailey Bridge and of course it could be because of the rat run problem that the WC has already mentioned in recent months.
If the bridge were to be reopened to road traffic it would mean that of an evening east bound traffic could snake its way through Sandown, the West end, Fishertown, Bailey Bridge, and then up the Maggot back onto the A96. I know when the bridge was open this was a route that some drivers took, and with the extra congestion through Nairn of an evening I would imagine drivers would get wise to the diversion to avoid the town
Mr Vines interest would be to try and discourage extra traffic through the West end

Anonymous said...

I agree that a new Baily bridge would attract a lot of traffic from the A96

Graisg said...

From what I've see the West campaign on many issues and perhaps just as important to them as Sandown is their desire to see a single Community Council for Nairn.
Personally I'm very glad that they are there.

Mal Function said...

I think it's a great pity to see comments like that of Anon at 8.53am above, who said
"I hold the suspicion that the West Council only reformed to fight the Sandown issue and its involvement in other matters is just to try and legitimise its new existence..

Why is it that the kneejerk reaction of some folk in Nairn is always to question the motives of those who become involved in community activity, and to presume that they are driven only by parochial self-interest?

As it happens, the Sandown development is actually within Suburban CC's parish, and Suburban were on the case, with others, long before the West CC was resurrected.

But it would be narrow-minded to say that it's nothing to do with River or West CCs. Projects like Sandown (or Sainsburys, or Somerfield/Co-op, or for that matter the Bailey bridge) affect the whole town. All residents should be concerned - which is why it's quite proper for Mr Vine, or indeed members of any and all the CCs, to engage on such issues. It would just be so much more effective to do so in a single forum.

It's good to have thoughtful debate. But it would be better to have less suspicion and sniping, and more support for those - like CC members - who are trying to reflect local views and to make Nairn a better place.

Working Perfectly said...

I agree that we need one Community Council, but I do take issue with the comment made by Mal Function with regard what s/he calls sniping

All of us have a voice in our community and we have the right to disagree with anyone's opinion even if it is someone in a community post

Community Councillors do an excellent job but that doesn't mean that as soon as anyone dares to criticise or make an opposing comment that they are having a knee jerk reaction.

To hold such a view means you are in effect putting Community Councillors in glass cases, not something I would want and I'm sure they wouldn't either

Thoughtful debate is that which is open, there is nothing wrong with suspicion you just have to prove it!

Perhaps Graham Vine will make public (if he hasn't already) the reasons for his objections to the Bailey Bridge

Graisg said...

@ working perfectly

The Nairnshire of course only prints an account of meetings. Those who attend meetings will have the pleasure of hearing everything. All of Nairn's community councils don't mind folk from other patches turning up at their respective meetings so if you want to know what motivates any individual why not go along to the next meeting and listen and ask questions too?

Working Perfectly said...

Few people attend all the CC's meetings, a little too much I think you'll agree?

Another reason to have just the one CC which might attract more voices from the floor as it were?

Malware said...

Don't you all think, it is up to the residents of the three community
councils to decide the way forward.
Lets have a straight yes-no vote by residents of the three community ward areas.That should settle it once and for all?

Firewall said...

"Lets have a straight yes-no vote by residents of the three community ward areas"

Referendums might seem like a good idea but they are very costly.

Could be not let matters rest with our CC's?