Older News/Notices
IMPORTANT NEWS re NIGG PLANNING APPLICATION
YOU MAY REMEMBER NEWS OF THE PROPOSED HIGH VOLTAGE CABLE MANUFACTURING PLANT ON LAND EAST OF NIGG ENERGY PARK – SITE INVESTIGATIONS PRIOR TO PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF PLANNING APPLICATION Click Here
THIS PLANNING APPLICATION IS NOW SUBMITTED
The Community Council were approached by The Highland Council to comment on application 23/04662/FUL submitted by Global Energy Group Nigg Ltd, for the erection of a high voltage cable manufacturing plant at Nigg. You may recall that Global Energy held two consultations earlier this year at the Victoria Hall. (Note: this planning application sits outside of the Black Isle Ward.)
The Community Council recognise and support the economic benefits that Green Freeport developments bring to the Highlands. At the same time existing operational practices at Nigg impact the lives of some members of the community in a significant, yet preventable way. Most specifically regarding noise, low frequency noise and vibration. The Community Council have liaised with Port of Nigg, Port of Cromarty Firth and The Highland Council over the last 18 months to understand and resolve these issues.
Within the planning application there is no provision for shore power - land-based power systems - that the support vessels, servicing the proposed cabling plant, can plug into. The provision of shore power removes the need for berthed vessels to be burning marine fuel, and eliminates the arising exhaust and noise emissions, the latter affecting a number of persons in the community.
The provision of shore power as a mitigation at source to noise nuisance is well-documented, and adopted in many European ports, seeking to demonstrate their green credentials, and future-proof themselves commercially. Further evidence of this can be assessed in the Project NEPTUNES best practice guide, ‘Mitigation of Noise from Ships at Berth’. A search of the internet will identify the recent adoption of shore power at Port of Aberdeen and Port Leith. Development in the Inverness and Cromarty Firth ‘Green’ Freeport is supposed to be a sector-leading proposition, with environmental credentials.
Following discussion at its meeting on 31st October, the Community Council agreed to object to the planning application in its current format, purely on the basis that no provision has been made for shore power within the submission. The proposed development does not align with the stated requirements for developments within a Green Freeport Zone, as mandated by Scottish Government. The development does not include optimal controls for the mitigation of exhaust and noise emissions generated from berthed vessels, which will service the proposed manufacturing plant, against a background of historic noise complaints, from residents in Cromarty.
The C&DCC welcomes any questions and/or comments from members of the Community, which we will share with Global Energy at the Nigg Energy Park.
Please email us on cromartydistrictcc@gmail.com
LATEST FREEPORT NEWS
ON 11th July there was a webinar held for freeport stakeholders from all over the UK. A community friend from Nairn, Loreine Thomson (LT) attended and kindly circulated the following points/concerns from the webinar relating to The Cromarty Firth.
LT has worked with Cromarty Rising and specialises in successfully holding The Highland Council to account over community issues here in the Highlands.
IF YOU WISH TO SEE HER NOTES ON THE WHOLE WEBINAR PLEASE CLICK HERE
Main points were -
1. Although within the 45km buffer boundary of the freeport, Nairn will get nothing in the way of any kind of tax breaks or benefits
2. Only the two designated Tax sites, i.e. Port of Inverness and Port of Cromarty get the tax breaks.
3. The 'Accountable Body' ie THC can expect their role to be more time consuming and expensive for them (so does that mean THC will go further into the RED and more money will be required for additional staffing)
4. All infrastructure requirements - roads, water, energy, housing, health care etc. should be considered as a 'first' priority to ensure that communities are not impacted from work commencing on the freeport.
5. Major infrastructure is the single biggest inhibitors to the success of freeports and funding must come from Government
6. Retained business rates are for intra site infrastructure/development
7. OBC for ICFP to be submitted by Autumn 2023
8. Local Authority has responsibility to work up case for major infrastructure needed for freeports
9. Local Authority has responsibility for prioritising major infrastructure for its area and other communities not impacted by freeports
10. Local communities within the 45km boundary should be consulted fully.
11. All communities in the region should reap benefits from the freeport
12. Freeports are not a quick fix and it will take time to realise full potential of investment - may be 25-30 years.
From the notes you will see that the Scottish bids were highly aspirational in terms of employment (75,000) and inward investment (£11 billion) as compared to Liverpool (1.3 million population, 10,000 jobs/£2.8 Billion investment) and East Midlands Freeport areas (figures said to be similar to those of Liverpool).
Of concern were the following -
* Would Highland Council decide to reprioritise infrastructure to meet freeport needs above the wider community? The Scottish Government's new Infrastructure Investment Plan is not due out until 2026 but already, as can be seen with the A9 and the extensive funding needed for schools, the SG is unable to find the money to meet previously agreed commitments and therefore I suspect Councils will be told to look again at their infrastructure priorities
* The additional workload and staffing expense which will be incurred by Highland Council as the accountable body - the knock on effect to residents particularly since the Council is £54.24M in the red for 2023/4 and has already over £1 billion in debts. Will this mean a reduction in service delivery?
* Benefits for wider communities who will inevitably experience consequences as a result of the Freeport
* Health and Safety, Environmental both sea and land - who is going to ensure ICFP don't do what they like?
According to Alisdair McIntosh, extensive community consultation has already been carried out and I would have thought that should have included the Black Isle communities in view of the close proximity and knock on effects (all sorts of pollution - air, light, noise, water) from such a large scale enterprise. However, I understand Black Isle communities were not consulted - neither was Nairn. I hope this is something which is remedied pretty quickly through community engagement which is to be in built into Scottish Freeport structures.
Nairn will also be keeping a very close eye on this because the Port of Ardersier seems to be the main area for large floating wind turbine manufacturing, a major component of the Freeport bid according to Alisdair
McIntosh. This will certainly impact significantly on the Nairn area.
I would hope the Black Isle's Local Place Plan will take the Freeport and its ramifications into consideration. Nairn's LPP will most definitely be taking into consideration the Port of Ardersier and will also seek benefits
from the freeport albeit my question received a resounding NO from the speakers present.
A BIG THANK YOU TO LOREINE
FOR THE LATEST HC NEWS ON THEIR PLANS FOR THE CROMARTY FIRTH AREA PLEASE CLICK HERE:
HC GREEN FREEPORT UPDATE (large document please be patient) HC BUSINESS PLAN OUTLINE
NEW ARRANGEMENTS FOR REPORTING ADULT CONCERNS IN THE HIGHLANDS
Information received by external source:
We are writing to let you know that we have changed the arrangements for reporting Adult Concerns. This mailbox is going to be de-commissioned in the near future, the 0800 902 0042 phone number will be ceased and we are now asking everyone to direct their Adult Concerns/Referrals to the appropriate locality Adult Social Care Team.
Below are the email addresses and phone numbers for our Highland Adult Social Care Teams. Please share this information with any colleagues who may find it useful.
Please do not hesitate to pass this information onto anyone who might have need of it.
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Area / District |
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Phone |
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North |
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Caithness |
nhsh.caithnessspoa@nhs.scot |
01955 606915 |
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Sutherland |
nhsh.sspoc@nhs.scot |
01408 664018 |
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West |
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Skye, Lochalsh & Wester Ross |
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01471 820174 |
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Lochaber |
nhsh.lochaberdistrict@nhs.scot |
01397 709832 |
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Mid |
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Mid Ross |
nhsh.mrhscc@nhs.scot |
01349 860460 |
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East Ross |
nhshighland.eric@nhs.scot |
01349 853131 |
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South |
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Inverness East & West |
nhsh.spoainvernesseastwest@nhs.scot |
01463 888333 |
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Nairn |
nhsh.nairnsocialwork@nhs.scot |
01667 422702 |
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Badenoch & Strathspey |
nhsh.bandsspoa@nhs.scot |
01479 812618 |
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Under 25 year olds in Mid and South areas |
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Transitions Team*
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nhsh.transitionsteam@nhs.scot (*For concerns about under 25 year olds in Mid & East Ross, Inverness, Badenoch & Strathspey and Nairn districts only) |
01463 644325 |
If circumstances cause any of these details to change, then the latest versions will be published on the NHS Highland ASP web-page.
Kind Regards,
Adult Support and Protection
1st Floor, Assynt House, Beechwood Business Park, Inverness IV2 3BW (: 01463 704806
ASP Webpage: [click here] Highland ASP Training Webpage: [click here]
PORT AUTHORITY TO BE MADE MORE ACCOUNTABLE
Cromarty are this week celebrating a significant legal ruling, achieved by Cromarty Rising's work protecting our interests and local environment.
'Following a successful campaign, the Scottish Information Commissioner has confirmed that the Cromarty Firth Port Authority has been deemed a "Public Authority" for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
A Public Authority must make environmental information available proactively and members of the public are entitled to request information on subjects such as land development, all forms of pollution, energy production, air quality and waste management. Requests must be handled within 20 days and the public have a right of appeal.
The Information Commissioner's Office has published detailed guidelines which can be found on their website here: What are the Environmental Information Regulations? | ICO
As Cromarty Firth Port Authority is a Scottish Trust Port, this decision should align very well with Nolan Committee Standards for Public Office for those appointed to the Board.
The port has 42 days to appeal the decision.'
More updates will be shared on Cromarty Live, as they happen.
PORT OF CROMARTY FIRTH/NIGG YARD
HIGHLAND COUNCIL FREEPORT UPDATE
https://www.highland.gov.uk/news/article/15300/inverness_and_cromarty_firth_green_freeport_update
PROPOSED PLANNING APPLICATION:
HIGH VOLTAGE CABLE MANUFACTURING PLANT ON LAND EAST OF NIGG ENERGY PARK – SITE INVESTIGATIONS PRIOR TO PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF PLANNING APPLICATION
Click Here
ADDITIONAL MARINE WORKS
The C&DCC has today (Thursday 11th May) received notice from Rory Gunn, Facilities Director of Global Energy's Nigg Energy Park, that additional marine works will be ongoing at the Port of Nigg for the next 4 weeks starting on Monday (15th).
This activity entails remediation works on the seabed to remove the eight subsea piles from where the dock gate used to be moored in front of our South Quay (see below location picture)
The multi-cat vessel C-Odyssey will be used to perform this work which will include seabed levelling, dredging and diving works.
The piles were previously cut at the seabed level around the piles, but stick up around 5 to 7 meters from the rest of the seabed, and represent a hazard for shipping coming to our quay.
The vessel is scheduled to arrive tomorrow to drop off some equipment, then return with a second load of equipment on Sunday / Monday when the works are due to commence.
The current schedule of works are as follows -
- 1 day site mobilisation
- 5 days plough dredging around the piles – this will be a 24 hour operation
- 10 days using a mass flow device to uncover the piles – Currently planned as a 12 hour operation
- 8 days cutting and removing the piles – Currently planned as a 12 hour operation
- 2 days plough dredging to back fill the pile locations. – Currently planned as a 24 hour operation
- 1 day demob site and depart.
Schedule is subject to change depending on how the job progresses.
We apologise in advance for any inconvenience, and rest assured we aim to complete the works as quickly as possible.
We would be grateful if you could share this information with community members.
The C&DCC welcomes any questions and/or comments from members of the Community, which we will share with Global Energy at the Nigg Energy Park.
Please email us on cromartydistrictcc@gmail.com
Women's Tennis!
Cromarty Tennis Court
6-8 pm - every Tuesday
All are welcome! Just for fun and for all levels and abilities, come along and give it a try!
Goodbye but not farewell!
On Monday 25th April, Councillor Craig Fraser attended the C&DCC meeting for the last time as our Ex-Officio Member, representing the Highland Council. He retired as a Highland Councillor on Thursday 5th May.
A message from us: 'to say “He will be missed”, is an understatement. His tenacious ability to see things through, and get jobs done, has been the hallmark of his contribution to Cromarty, and the wider Black Isle community, since he became a Councillor in 2007.
Knowing how much he loves Cromarty, he will still be very much a person who cares about the community and he is already establishing links to continue supporting whoever is elected on 5th May. Whoever it is, they have a very hard act to follow.
Lastly, thank you Dorrie for lending Craig to the community over the last 15 years. His contribution has been invaluable and your support in this is so recognised, and hugely appreciated.'
New member joins!
At the latest C&DCC meeting, Andy Thurgood was elected to be a Co-opted Member.
Andy, although fairly new to Cromarty, has already made his mark with valuable work in making sure Cromarty’s interests are well protected, in discussions with both the Port Authority and Global Energy. He has many transferable skills that will further help the Community Council and better represent the Community. Members look forward to working with Andy.Welcome.
Cromarty Care Project
The Cromarty Care Project were awarded a well deserved Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, and we wish to take this opportunity to thank all volunteers in Cromarty, and across the Highlands, who have kept communities going through these difficult times with both kindness and compassion as reflected in the C&DCC Chair's Annual Report presented on 31st May 2021. Read here.
Survey results
Following the request for resident opinions and comments in the August Newsletter, the C&DCC has received emails and letters from 26 different residents. The results were as follows –
‘LOVE THEM’ – 11.54% (3)
‘HATE THEM’ – 80.77% (21)
‘ON THE FENCE’ – 7.69% (2)
Some of these responses were very emotive and at their meeting on Monday 31st August, the C&DCC unanimously decided the following –
“Members therefore agreed the C&DCC would support action or comment necessary to oppose rig noise around Cromarty.”
It was also decided to keep separate our actions relating to the Cromarty Firth Port Authority’s potential application to make the Cromarty Firth a Free Trade Zone or Port. The C&DCC involvement in this process will be led by Kari and
“.. Members agreed KM can freely ask questions on behalf of the C&DCC to gather more details about the proposals and impacts on the local area.”
The Harbour Trust's Gate Decision
The C&DCC would like to confirm that we were informed of the Harbour Trust’s decision but, as they are a separate organisation which does not need to seek our permission, it was not our remit to approve or reject their plan. Please also note this discussion was included in our minutes that are always publicly available to everybody with Agenda's posted a week prior to our meetings which all residents of Cromarty & District are welcome to attend.
The C&DCC nominates Trustees to the Harbour Trust Board as per their constitution. Our nominees are currently Colin Dickie and David Kent. Apologies for omitting Colin in our original post. This has now been updated in the C&DCC records.
Port of Nigg Open Day Invitation - Sat 24th June
Join us for a day of exploration and discovery at the Port of Nigg Open Day!
Good Morning,
On Saturday, 24th June, we invite you to come and experience the bustling operations at one of Scotland's leading energy ports, placed at the centre of Scotland's journey to becoming a net zero country.
The Port of Nigg is transitioning from its oil & gas roots and developing into a renewables superhub focused on the exciting opportunities arising from offshore wind and floating offshore wind projects being build off our shores.
During this free event, you'll have the chance to meet the people who work at the port and learn about the vital role it plays in the local and national economy. You'll also be given the opportunity to take a coached tour around the site and experience first-hand the operations taking place at the Port.
Visitors of all ages can participate in what will be a great family fun day featuring delicious local food and drink, competitions, and children’s activities. There will be exhibits and displays that showcase the Port's history and future development plans for the renewables superhub.
There will be plenty opportunities to connect with other members of the community who share your passion for the area. Don't miss out on this unique chance to experience the Port of Nigg up close and personal!
Attendance is free – but tickets are required due to expected high demand.
Five 1-hour slots will be available to book from 10:00am to 3:00pm, each consisting of a coach tour of the site - 10:00-11:00am, 11:00-12 noon, 12 noon -1:00pm, 1:00pm-2:00pm and 2:00pm-3:00pm.
Book your free tickets here: https://Port-of-Nigg-Open-Day.eventbrite.co.uk
Open Gardens/Art & Flowers
Chelsea may be over but, don’t worry, Cromarty will have plenty of horticultural and artistic colour on show with a cornucopia of flowers, botanic art and open gardens to enjoy starting from Saturday 17th June.
Do take time out to visit this year’s Art and Flowers display being held in Cromarty’s East Church from Saturday 17th June for eight days. It is always an outstanding event enhanced by the atmospheric setting of the historic old church.
‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ is the theme of the floral displays created by local flower arrangers and co-ordinated by Evelyn Wilson. Well over 2000 blooms will be used to assemble the floral works of art with a team of arrangers and helpers working together to achieve the designs.
Alongside these elegant flower displays detailed Botanic and Wildlife artworks will be exhibited, the work of up to fifteen pupils studying with local Botanic artist, Julie Price. Each work can take hours of concentration in order to achieve the intricate detail of the flora and fauna being painted and the results are beautiful to observe.
The Art and Flowers display is open daily from 11am to 4pm from Saturday 17th to Sunday 25th June 2023. Admission is by donation with an amount of £1 per person suggested. All monies raised are part of the Open Gardens/Art & Flowers fundraising event and will be distributed to local charities and organisations, including towards the upkeep of East Church. The art element of this will be dedicated to the memory of the late Campbell McCracken who had been attending the classes for 9 years. He was a talented and prolific painter who produced some beautiful and delicate work. Many of his paintings will be in the church in a special display dedicated to him.
Cromarty Open Gardens makes a welcome return on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th giving locals and visitors the chance to see behind the walls or peer over the fence at the many lovely gardens around the town, large and small, each one a special haven for its owners. It is a wonderful opportunity to pick up ideas for your own patch and, with around 30 gardens (including some new ones) and the allotments to visit, you are sure to find something of interest.
Plants and books will be on sale plus there is the chance to win a prize on the Tombola. Two gardens will be serving tea and home baking and, with many local shops and places to eat and drink, it all adds up to a great day out. And don’t forget to call in to the Art and Flowers display in East Church.
Open Gardens are open from 11am to 4pm. Admission is £5 per person (under 12s free) and tickets are valid for both days. Tickets and lists of open gardens are available from The Hub at East Bellevue House on Church Street or from the dedicated Open Gardens car parking area on The Links. Dogs are welcome on leads in many of the gardens but please respect the wishes of owners where a ‘No Dogs’ sign is displayed.
The Open Gardens and the Art and Flowers display are big fundraising events. It is hoped that this year we will be able to better the £5,600 raised last year – this amount was distributed between 10 local charities and organisations. Many local businesses provide generous sponsorship for these two events so please do give them your support.
Can you help with Tombola prizes?
We will be running a Tombola this year at £1 per go – if anyone can donate small items for prizes we would be most appreciative. If you can help please contact us on Facebook – Cromarty Open Gardens
BLACK ISLE LOCAL PLACE PLAN
On Monday 13th March, from 3.30 to 7.30 p.m., at the West Church Hall, there was a drop in event to seek the views of the community about their priorities for Cromarty. The project is being led by a Project Manager and a Consultant, funded by the Highland Council. Your Community Council is keen for everyone in Cromarty to engage with this process, as outlined by Becky Richmond and Nick Wright below.
The Black Isle Local Place Plan - Your opportunity to help create a Black Isle that we are proud to call home. A Black Isle fit for future generations.
The aim of the plan is to provide a Black Isle wide vision for the future. It will build on existing consultations and surveys and over the next few weeks we will be consulting with communities across the Black Isle to find out what your priorities for the Black Isle might be. There will be eight drop-in events held in Community Council areas across the Black Isle, where we’ll be seeking your views.
What do you want the Black Isle and your communities to be like in the future? What are the changes you would like to see? What kind of voice do we want to have, sitting in the middle of the Greenport bubble?
Your answers will give you and your Community Councils real influence over the future of your community, because they will be the basis of the Black Isle Local Place Plan - a new feature of Scottish planning legislation that influences Council planning policy and public services. To achieve that, the first stage is for you to tell us what really matters to your communities. Please drop in at one of the March events for a chat and a cuppa.
Then, over the next few months, we’ll organise more events with residents, businesses, Community Councils, Highland Council councillors and staff, and other groups and organisations to work out how to tackle what matters to you in the future. The work is being funded by the Council, so we hope it will have a real impact.
Our logo Opportunity Black Isle is in response to the awarding of Greenport status to Opportunity Cromarty Firth. We are not in anyway affiliated to the Greenport. We want to highlight the fact that we’re responsible for creating our own opportunities. The Local Place Plan gives us, the local community, a great opportunity to determine what life on the Black Isle will look like in the coming years. We look forward to working together.
The Community Engagement Events kick off in Cromarty on Monday 13th March, 3.30pm - 7.30pm at the West Church Hall. Come along, enjoy a cup of tea and some cake and share your views with us. We’d like to hear from as many different folk as possible. It’s really important we gather a wide range of views from all sectors of the community.
If you can’t make the event in your local area, you will be warmly welcomed at any of the events across the Black Isle. For further information please contact either myself: becky@blackislestud.co.uk or Nick Wright at: nick@nickwrightplanning.co.uk
Becky Richmond - Project Manager Black Isle Local Place Plan
TO SEE EVENTS FLYER CLICK HERE
SPRING CHEER IN CROMARTY 
The Cromarty & District Community Council is pleased to announce that, with funding from the Highland Council’s Cost of Living Support Fund, we hope to put a smile on the faces of 100 Cromarty families who may well be struggling to cope with the challenges of the current Cost of Living crisis.
If you are one of those families, and you fancy the culinary delights offered by having a Sutor Creek takeaway, we are pleased to make available 100 Spring Cheer vouchers worth £10 off the cost of your order (only applies to food).
From 15th March, each week (Wed-Sun 10am to 8pm until 2nd April), there will be at least 30 vouchers available, on a first come first served basis. As we hope to reach out to 100 different homes in the community, everyone is restricted to one voucher per address. When ordering, if you wish to use one of these vouchers, you will be asked to supply your address so that we can monitor these funds reaching as many families as possible. Obviously this is restricted to homes in our Cromarty & District area. The address data will only be used for this monitoring and will be deleted after 2nd April.
So call (01381) 600855, from 15th March, to place an order and ask for a £10 Spring Cheer voucher discount to perhaps make you smile as we hopefully move in to a less challenging Spring!
NEW COMMUNITY EVENTS SUB-COMMITTEE UPDATE
UPDATE - THIS HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO LACK OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Following the January meeting, the C&DCC had created its new Community Events Sub-Committee, to oversee all such events in Cromarty. Following further discussions draft Terms of Reference have been prepared and these will shortly be published along with details of how this sub-committee can support and advise those interested in delivering community events. BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
This includes all those events that wish to be included under the C&DCC’s Public Liability Insurance Cover.
Members of the community who have been involved in these past events will be invited to participate, but the C&DCC also welcomes and wants to hear from anyone, who hasn’t previously, but would like to be involved. WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
Apart from needing to formalise the insurance cover, it is hoped that those involved in the sub-committee will be able to supply a depth of resource to all future events that have in the past struggled to get enough people to commit the time and effort to. In this world of risk assessments, and such like, local talented folk are often discouraged from getting involved.
More details will follow on Cromarty Live, but if you are interested, or just want to learn more, please contact Alan on cromartydistrictcc@gmail.com.
QUEEN'S JUBILEE
All costs of this event were covered by personal donations, of volunteering time, benefits in kind and money, from the community folk who also made this such a success. Following the planned auction of the limited edition Jubilee Beacon, we will have raised further funds to spend on Cromarty amenities.
Cromarty folk at their finest! Thank you.
AUCTION COMING SOON. WATCH THIS SPACE.
BABY CLINICS AT THE CROMARTY VICTORIA HALL
NHS Highland Baby Immunisation clinics started at the Victoria Hall on Wednesday 15th March.
Initially to be held fortnightly from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and please check the NHS vaccination website for details - https://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/health-and-wellbeing/immunisation-and-vaccines/