£40,000 feasibility study to look at pedestrianising Brae area in Nairn
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More than £40,000 of funding has been secured to find ways to tackle heavy traffic problems in an area of Nairn.
Nairn Connects BID has secured £37,000 from the national Places for Everyone programme to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study of the Brae road, which runs from the A96 to the High Street.
This has been added to a previous allocation of £8,758 from place-based investment and community regeneration funds to enable the study to go ahead.
Nairn BID manager Lucy Harding said: “This project has been a long time coming and we are delighted that we are able to begin the study thanks to the funding from Places for Everyone.
“The case for pedestrianisation has been raised unofficially by others in the past, but with Highland Council backing the idea in its Active Travel Masterplan, we anticipate a more receptive response in the current climate. So we are moving forward with a greater degree of confidence.”
She added that the support from local MSP Fergus Ewing and a letter signed by five businesses on the Brae were a key factor in the success of the funding application.
Connected Transport Planning Ltd will be carrying out the feasibility study and public and stakeholder consultation events will be organised for people to give their feedback.
Places for Everyone is an active travel infrastructure programme funded by the Scottish Government and administered by Sustrans Scotland.
Eleanor MacDonald, grants manager at Sustrans Scotland, said: “We are looking forward to working with the Nairn BID, the Highland Council and the wider community in and around Nairn to help make active travel easier, safer and more accessible for everyone.
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“The funding awarded for this project will enable residents and businesses to feed into suggested plans, ensuring the work reflects what local people need and want for their area.
“We will continue to support our partners as they push to make everyday walking, wheeling, and cycling journeys a reality.”
In 2021, following public engagement, the Brae was highlighted in Highland Council’s Nairn Active Travel Masterplan as an area that would “benefit from pedestrianisation.”
The plan stated that making the 100-metre stretch of road pedestrianised would create “a safe and traffic-free route for active travel users between the A96 and the High Street.”
It added: “This intervention would also bring wider benefits, such as increased footfall to support local businesses and more opportunities for social interaction.”
