Year 3, Week 14

Area Committee, that water leak, battery storage, wind farm, MP surgery ...

Area Committee

The Nairnshire Area Committee met on Monday. You can find the papers here and you can view a video of the meeting here. We had a reports from both Calum MacPherson, CEO at Inverness & Cromarty Firth Green Freeport, about the freeport and from Nick Nethercott, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's station commander for Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey about their activity in the past year.

As discussed in my last blog we agreed to set the speed limit on the A939 Grantown Road to 40mph from well south of Househill until the current 30mph limit. We also asked officers to look again at reducing the speed limit on the road to 20mph rather than 30mph in Nairn itself.

We discussed the coastal erosion on Central Beach where the rock armour which protects the section of the Links from the only significant groyne to the Leisure Centre car park has been significantly disturbed by the winter storm which also did damage to the harbour. Both the beach and the land are in the ownership of the Nairn Common Good so this is an issue we need to address and, on the advice of officers (see section 6 of agenda item 8), we decided to do nothing at the moment but to ringfence about £20,000 in the Common Good budget for 2024/5 for repairs if we decide they’re needed.

We also agreed not to pay the Council the running costs of the Invitation To Pay parking in Nairn until we get answers to our questions as to why the costs have gone up by 29% in one year for a very similar number of transactions, and also more details of how the income breaks down for campervans vs cars.

That water leak

The much discussed water leak in the passage alongside R&R Urquhart was finally fixed on Monday while we were having our area committee meeting. It’s been a long time coming.

Another BESS

I’ve received notice this week of a proposal for a fourth battery energy storage system (BESS) linked to the electricity sub-station on Granny Barbours Road. An indicative plan is shown below:

There is a project website at www.kinnudieBESS.co.uk which has more information.

Two public consultation events are being held at Nairn Community Centre on Thursday, 22nd August and 12th September between the hours of 3pm and 6pm. You may want to attend to discuss the scheme with the developer’s representatives and to make comments.

This would be the fourth BESS proposing to connect to the sub-station. We already have two with planning permission: one at Blackpark (also shown on the image above - it would be close to the buildings bottom left) and another opposite Househill, plus we have the one I mentioned in June which would be located to the south east of this new site.

Balnespick Wind Farm

You may remember that I mentioned last September that there is a proposal for a wind farm at Balnespick 5.6km east of Tomatin and 6.6km north-west of Carrbridge so south of the existing Tom nan Clach wind farm and in the very far south of our ward.

If this affects you then the developer is holding public events:

• Tuesday, 27th August from noon to 8pm at The Auditorium, The Strathdearn, Tomatin, IV13 7YN

• Wednesday, 28th August from 11am to 7pm at Carrbridge Village Hall, Main Street, Carrbridge, PH23 3AA

They also have a web site www.balnespickwindfarm.co.uk where you can find more information.

Graham Leadbitter MP surgery

Our new MP, Graham Leadbitter, is holding his first surgery a week on Monday, 19th August, at Nairn Community Centre. Please contact his office via email at graham.leadbitter.mp@parliament.uk if you want to arrange an appointment.

Planning applications

The following new applications were logged since I last posted:

• 24/02772/FUL - Land To East of Meadowfield Farm, Auldearn - Development of 14 houses

• 24/02821/FUL - 15C Tom Semple Road, Balmakeith Industrial Estate, Nairn, IV12 5QW - Erection of fencing to yard

To find details search on the reference number on the planning portal where you can also find details on how to comment.