Nairn night-life to get first regular 2.a.m licence?

On the list of current licensing applications displayed on the Highland Council website is one from The Playhouse. They are applying for a 2.a.m licence on Fridays and Saturdays. Further information on their major variations to premises licence application can be viewed on this web page under item 3.9. The Gurn understands that this application may be discussed at the River Community Council meeting in the URC hall tonight (Weds). 

Secretary of East Nairnshire Community Council resigns

Debbie McBean, Chair of ENCC told those present at the CC’s regular meeting last night in the Glenferness Hall that the group's secretary John Rawlison had resigned:

“John, unfortunately has decided to step down as a community councillor. I tried to persuade him to change his mind and I’ve written and thanked him for all the work he’s done because he’s got a tremendous amount of work, a lot of his own time and I very much will miss him because he’s always been a sounding board if you needed someone to chat to. He will be extremely missed.

Treasurer Alastair McDonald, agreeing with the sentiment expressed by Debbie, then said: “It was John that approached me to join the community council and it is a loss not to have John around and I think that what we as a committee talked about was that the heart went out of it for him with the planning. Not the planning process but when all the applications that had been turned down went to the review committee and he felt… and he went along representing the community council…

Debbie then intervened and said: “Well he felt extremely let down by the Council.”

John was then praised by another NECC member Barry Butcher who said: “He did try to get democracy and he felt that really it was just fait accompli and that’s it.”

Debbie went on to say that a lot of community councillors are disillusioned with the whole planning system. She said: “We’re trying to do our best, we’re not paid for what we do and it would be nice if sometimes somebody listened to us because we are not doing this for the good of our health and we are not raising objections for fun. We’re here seriously trying to help the community and the area. […] John feels like that, the rest of us feel exactly the same but he’s just had enough all together.”

Then looking to the future she made a further statement: “Hopefully, when planning is going forward now, they’re maybe going to listen to us more, what we’ve got to say because I think I can say that the other community councils as well, from now on we all will be working together.”

From welfare case to war horse, Penny retires from The King's Troop

Gurnites will catch a glimpse or two of local soldier Fiona Dunbar in this World Horse Welfare video on Youtube. 

Unprovoked attack on Japanese Knotweed.

It's been another good year for the invasive species along the riverside. The only plant to experience any type of setback was the Giant Hogweed which suffered badly at the hands of the Council boys and their annual spray and then, of course, there was the more regular attention of Murd and his riverside patrol who dispatched many a large specimen with a slice of a spade through the stem before they could seed. A bumper year though for the Himalayan Balsam and the Japanese Knotweed again, plants which will surely dominate the entire riverside walks within a few years and it some sections their purpose has already been achieved. We have stated many times on the Gurn that the dominance of these invaders is at the expense of native plants and the complex relationship between the flora and fauna of the river and the riparian areas. Little or no spraying of Japanese Knotweed seems to have taken place on the riverside walks again this year apart from the efforts of the River Community Council down at the Merryton/Sewage bridge area.

The Gurn's Riverside correspondent Murd Dunbar was quick to notice that cattle in fields close to the riverside had tackled a considerable quantity of Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam.

The early morning sun filters through the remnants of some Himalayan Balsam

Japanese Knotweed battered by the bovine assault

A little googling reveals that cattle can be quite partial to Japanese Knotweed and although grazing will not eradicate the plant it will certainly give it a considerable setback especially if the cattle, sheep or goats are removed and then returned when the knotweed comes back up again. 

South Nairn nuances

One thing is certain, the next move rests with the development consortium that had their application turned down last month. Today both the Inverness Courier and the Nairnshire speculate on what comes next. The Leopold Street Thunder states that the developers are considering their next move:

“The respective builders, Scotia Homes, Barratt North East Scotland and Robertson Homes, have “began discussions” but not yet decided their next step.

A Spokesperson for the Consortium said he could not comment on the timescale of any announcement, adding: “We’re waiting to have another series of meetings before any decision can be made.”

The Courier too speculates on South Nairn and Donna MacAllistar writes in an article entitled ‘Nairn Housing scheme could be dropped’:
”Developers could abandon plans to build hundreds of homes in Nairn after their planning application was turned down by Highland Council.”

Donna’s article goes on to quote a spokesperson for the developers who says that it could take months for the three companies to decide their next move.” 

More details in today’s edition of the respective local papers.

Whatever the consortium do the planning committee will have to consider the Charles Allenby application for approximately 250 houses in the near future. Mr Allenby’s application, submitted by Muir Smith Evans, the Edinburgh based planning and development consultants, can be seen on the Highland Council e-planning pages here. Those Gurnites who are avid students of these matters will find much to read there including a very professional document crafted by the agents.

The Gurn understands that Muir Smith Evans wish to have meetings with Nairn’s three Community Councils. South Nairn may continue to make a few headlines yet as we move through the final months of 2013. South Narin  will be also be discussed at the regular monthly meeting of Nairn River Community Council tomorrow night.

Barron House offices to flats application

The application to convert Barron House into six flats and a cottage can be seen here on the Highland Council's e-planning pages.

Fones 'n' PCs closing down sale

It was just back in February when it suddenly looked as though one of Nairn's empty High Street shops had an optimistic future. Sadly the shop today displays closing down sale posters. The shop's facebook page simply states: "We're closing! This is our final week, all items are reduced, save up to 70%!"

Sunday night miscellany

Today was more like a summer's day than the end of the first week of October . Splashes of annual colour still continue in gardens across town and there are many trees whose leaves are still not displaying even a tired look yet. The foliage that has turned looked splendid in the sun and, for the most part, could not be persuaded to part company from branches when the breeze got up a little bit. The week ahead doesn't seem to promise any serious shift into colder temperatures yet but perhaps our luck will run out by the middle of the month, it was on the 15th October last year that snow was visible on Ben Wyvis. 

There is a new facebook page to add to the stable of Nairn related sites on the social network, "Nairn when you were a bairn"  has picked up a steady stream of memories, comments and now images since its creation yesterday. The places of Nairn Youtube quiz prize has been won today but perhaps you can still have a go and see if you can identify the ten places shown in the video?  

Looking forward to next week and Wednesday night sees the regular meeting of Nairn River Community Council. They will be in the URC hall from 7.30 p.m. onwards and discussing the Nairn South Development, Lochloy Development Grass Maintenance and the proposed new parking restriction and whatever else that might have cropped up between the ad going in the Nairnshire and the meeting itself. 

County Fans Ground Improvement Fund reaches 30K

The fund which was only launched in January of this year passes an important milestone. More details on the fans fundraising site. 

South Nairn decision - friendly voices - 2 Richard Laird

Those protesters who went through to Glenurquhart Road on Wednesday the 18th of  September, for the meeting that was to reject the South Nairn application, were very impressed by the performance of Councillor Richard Laird who articulated very well the traffic concerns that many in Nairn had been raising for some time. He said:

"Councillor Gray and Malcolm are quite right to point out that the principle of this plan is in the Highland wide Local Development plan but I would point out to colleagues that in that plan, in clause 18, there’s a very strong caveat. Delivery of the first phase of housing must demonstrate the current pinch points have been mitigated against and members will see from the draft minute of when the South PAC considered this last month, that members did raise concerns about the impact on the local road network but there was no

adequate response there in the minute. So I’m very grateful to John for explaining the methodology behind the traffic impact assessment however, I’m afraid for me, it has probably raised more problems than it has resolved.

I think using three year old traffic data is the not the best way to look at the impact of a scheme of this size given the very obvious pinch point that exists beneath the railway bridge and while signalisation and the improvements listed in conditions will benefit road safety, I don’t think they will go any way towards increasing the capacity of that pinch point and should reinvite the problem which was identified in the report on the traffic assessment that there is already queuing in that part of Nairn. I think Councillor Renick raised an interesting point when questioning the pause and review process. If we do approve this and 100 units are built and it then transpires that the road network cannot cope then all we’ve done is allow the problem to develop when we should have nipped it in the bud today. The application before us is for 319 units, it’s not for 100 units and having taken aboard what I’ve heard today and seeing what is in the papers and the traffic impact assessment I’ll be supporting my colleagues for Nairn and will be voting against this application."

Gurnmeister note: This observer has been impressed with Richard's overall performance since becoming a Councillor at the last elections. An articulate young politician who might peform well for the Highlands at a higher level one day?