Non-statutory planning guidance

Action plans for town centre regeneration in Tain, Nairn and Fort William

In 2015 the Council adopted separate Town Centre Action Plans for Tain, Nairn and Fort William as non-statutory planning guidance, which is treated as a material consideration in determining planning applications.

These plans were developed in close collaboration with local community and business representatives to identify the best ways to increase footfall and deliver town centre regeneration. Public consultation events included a series of design workshops that took place in each town during April and May 2014, which were part-funded by the Scottish Government.

The plans focus on the key priorities to make town centres more active, attractive and accessible. These include environmental improvements, making better use of land and existing buildings, and improving access and movement networks.

Read the Tain Town Centre Action Plan

Read the Nairn Community Town Centre Plan

Read the Fort William Town Centre Action Plan

Town Centre Action Plan preparation process

Public consultation to develop the Town Centre Action Plans took place in two phases during April-May 2014 and March-May 2015.

Public consultation events 2014

The following documents capture ideas and priorities for town centre regeneration identified during public workshops in each town in April and May 2014. They also summarise each workshop process. Workshop outputs informed the development of a Draft Town Centre Action Plan for each town.

Public consultation events 2015

A consultation on Draft Town Centre Action Plans for Fort William, Nairn and Tain took place between the 12 March and 15 May 2015. Comments received informed the final version of each Action Plan.

Approval to adopt the Town Centre Action Plans

The finalised action plans along with responses to comments received on each draft plan were agreed by the Council's Area Committees as follows:

  • Fort William Town Centre Action Plan: Lochaber Area Committee, 25 August 2015
  • Nairn Community Town Centre Plan: Badenoch and Strathspey Area Committee, 23 September 2015
  • Tain Town Centre Action Plan: Skye, Ross and Cromarty Area Committee, 18 November 2015

Strategic environmental assessment

As with all plans, policies and strategies we produce, this non-statutory planning guidance has been subject to a strategic environmental assessment to assess the level of significance of any environmental impact.

The following documents are available:

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