Call for Nairn Provost to make apology to Cawdor and West Nairnshire Community Council and other objectors to Cantray holiday pods plans after 'nimbyism' comment
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A community council is demanding an apology from Nairn’s provost after he referred to objections by it and others to an application for holiday pods as “nimbyism”.
Cawdor and West Nairnshire community councillor Douglas Fraser issued a statement on behalf of the council in response to Provost Laurie Fraser’s comments made at a planning meeting on June 22 in connection with an application to site four pods in the Cantray area, which was approved.
The statement branded the remark “grossly insulting” and added: “Genuine concerns to this application were raised and supported by CWNCC (Cawdor and West Nairnshire Community Council), some of which were acknowledged and responded to by the applicant.
“The community council feel there is something very wrong with the planning system when legitimate objections to an application can be dismissed in a few seconds without any form of discussion, on the whim of one councillor expressing his own opinion that these were examples of ‘nimbyism’.
“We feel Laurie Fraser should reflect on his conduct...and at the very least should apologise to the objectors and the CWNCC.”
Joanna McGregor, on behalf of the Watermill Foundation which runs the Highland Cycle Ability Centre, thanked Mr Fraser for the statement, saying she felt very hurt by the provost’s comments and was particularly worried about the speed of traffic on the narrow road off which the pods will be sited.
Mr Fraser said that as a community council they should be able to rely on local council representatives to pass on their views to the council’s planning committee.
Cllr Fraser said: “The application was unanimously approved by the committee.
“I thought the objections were excessive and there was no good reason to oppose it.
“No-one on the planning committee spoke against it but perhaps the use of the word (nimbyism) was excessive.”
Mr Fraser told the Courier: “There are many people very angry at the provost’s comments and dismissing our objections out of hand.
“The applicant’s own representative spoke extensively at the planning meeting and addressed some of the issues we had raised.
“But we still have concerns about the width of the road and the potential conflict of dogs being taken to the pods which are near livestock.”
