Added to this, of course, we have the following - which has been previously commented on in the blog:
"Major Consultation Planned Over Community Council Review
The first phase of a major review of Community Council arrangements in Highland, focusing on boundaries, is under way. The Council is revoking the current eight schemes and invites suggestions on the area and composition of Community Councils.
Many Community Council boundaries were set more than 30 years ago.Community Councils (and members of the public who wish to participate in this process) are asked to consider whether these boundaries are still meaningful as they stand, or whether changes in such things as population and settlement patterns should be reflected in altered boundaries. There may also be an opportunity to realign Community Council boundaries with other divisions, such as Polling Districts. Please note in this connection that Ward boundaries themselves are not set by the Council.
The closing date to make submissions is Wednesday, 23rd December, 2009. Emails should be sent to ccreview@highland.gov.uk. Written submissions should be sent to CC Review, Highland Council, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness IV3 5NX.
The second 12-week period of public consultation will follow in April 2010, after the Council has produced a new Highland-wide draft scheme. This will include discussion at Ward Forums.
A third period of consultation will follow in October, next year, when the public is invited to comment on amendments to the draft scheme."It is my understanding from David that Ardersier ,Balloch and Smithton & Culloden CCs feel that there should be no change whatsoever to existing CCs on the A96 Corridor until the Highland development plan is in place and developments have been approved.
To see a forum composed of the community councils below all working together on shared issues of planning and community involvement would certainly increase the strength of the public voice.
Ardersier
Auldearn
Balloch
Cawdor
Croy and Culloden Moor
Inverness West
Inverness South
Nairn River
Nairn Suburban
Nairn West
Westhill
As APTSec, I am aware of many of the planning issues that many of the CC's are facing and can see that many issues could be seen as common and overlapping. Working together can be difficult but there is also strength in numbers.
Lots of comments here would be lovely.
'It is my understanding from David that Ardersier ,Balloch and Smithton & Culloden CCs feel that there should be no change whatsoever to existing CCs on the A96 Corridor until the Highland development plan is in place and developments have been approved.'
ReplyDeleteNo thank you David &Co, Nairn needs one strong community council as soon as possible!
A little something that could be shared via a community council forum perhaps? Getting an understanding of the issues that each faces?
ReplyDeleteThat'll be up to Nairn's community councillors to decide but should the suggestion of no boundary changes be taken up and the plan consulatation run beyond the community council consultation then that might delay the desire in Nairn for a potential 'Royal Burgh Community Council'.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to know a bit more about the issues in the communities mentioned above. We sometimes have Ardersier and Croy issues mentioned in the Nairnshire but there doesn't seem to be much online debate to be seen in the way that the Nairn blogosphere highlights issues. Perhaps there is something out there, if not perhaps someone would be willing to put information up for the benefit of surfers in the corridor?
APTSec will send out your comments in the next communication to members to see how the idea of shared experience is received.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Graisg on this issue. It really doen't make sense to defer the reform of CCs until after the HwLDP [and/or A96 corridor plan] are finalised. There's no organisational connection between the two processes. In fact it's vitally important for the current CCs to comment on and re-shape those development plans now, while the consultations are going on.
ReplyDeleteThe logic of reviewing the CC boundaries is that over the last 30 years towns, villages and communities have evolved, grown, shrunk and changed. CCs need to reflect and represent the social/geographic communities as they now exist.
This means rationalising some of the odd and artificial demarcations that currently exist, where people living in the same street or village are represented by different CCs.
It also means (as Graisg says) addressing the uniquely peculiar situation in Nairn - the only town in the Highlands which has three mini-CCs rather than a single one representing the whole of the former Royal Burgh.
It is always good to talk. I think a forum of all CCs inthe corridor is a good idea. We, as communities are all affected in different ways by what is proposed and it would be good for each community to have an understanding of how others see us and we see them. For instance, an upgraded waste water treatment plant is proposed at Ardersier for what seems to be all the sewage from the corridor. Do we all appreciate what this will mean for the residents of Ardersier? Or the extra traffic at each end of the corridor at peak times? Or the extra burden on education and health perhaps in the initial stages should the projects go ahead. eg Tornagrain phase 1 has 350 houses but no health facilities or school. Where will the residents of this phase of the development go for these and how will that impact on the surrounding communities. Questions we are all asking in each of our individual areas. We would be so much better placed to address these issues as one combined body than seperately. united we stand , divided we fall????
ReplyDeleteYes it will be good for all these councils to talk, there's no doubt about that.
ReplyDeleteWhat is important is to get your community's views about issues into the public domain as quickly as possible. You can't rely on the conventional media to do it for you all the time so put your own news up on line.
Not everyone goes to community council meetings or reads about them if they make it to the newspapers but putting information and issues on-line is one more way of generating interest. It seems to work in Nairn and encourages healthy debate.
Graisg said:
ReplyDeleteYes it will be good for all these councils to talk, there's no doubt about that.
What is important is to get your community's views about issues into the public domain as quickly as possible. You can't rely on the conventional media to do it for you all the time so put your own news up on line.
Not everyone goes to community council meetings or reads about them if they make it to the newspapers but putting information and issues on-line is one more way of generating interest. It seems to work in Nairn and encourages healthy debate.
(Sorry Graisg had to cut and paste this in because the site kept saying the comment was moderated but APTSec couldn't see it on there.)
Looks like we have the beginning of a useful initiative here. It would be useful for the communities along the A96 to compare notes (online is so much easier than organising meetings!) and join forces over the plans to develop the A96 Corridor, which are now to be reflected in the Highland-wide Plan.
ReplyDeleteThe Anonymous comments above about the impact on Ardersier of the Tornagrain scheme and other development, echo the concerns that Nairn folk have about the pressure these A96 plans will impose on local services and infrastructure - as illustrated by the posts on the "Nairn Matters" blog.
I'm sure that blog - or indeed this APT one, and the Gurn - would welcome posts by people from Ardersier, Cawdor, Croy etc on the subject of the proposed developments in the area. The more we can discuss the issues and find common ground, and reflect this in the formal comments we make to the Highland Council, the more powerful and effective our representations will be...