Calls to give Nairn High Street some TLC as Nairn BID invites residents and businesses to join in monthly clean ups
Residents and businesses are being urged to join an initiative to help keep Nairn looking its best.
After raising concerns about the upkeep of the High Street and wider town centre, Nairn BID has announced it is to start a series of monthly tidy-ups, with the first set to take place this Friday, in partnership with local environmental charity Green Hive.
It comes after years of escalating a series of issues with Highland Council, according to the organisation’s representatives.
Karen Stuart, co-chairwoman of Nairn BID, said: “When we've spoken to our members the one thing that they all complain about, and are all really enthusiastic about seeing something done about, is the state of the High Street.
“Obviously we have spoken to our councillors, we've spoken to officers holding different positions in the Highland Council: they assured us that Nairn High Street is getting cleaned every day.
“When we questioned that, they told us that it was getting cleaned at 6am, every single morning. But we do know from other businesses that there's rubbish that can sit there outside their shop or close to their shop for days without it getting moved, and it usually ends up with them moving it.”
Whilst acknowledging the situation has improved since last summer and that if something “really serious” was reported it would be sorted quickly by the council, it is everyday street cleaning that is perceived as an issue.
BID said a request to have a street cleaning “Green Machine” provided was refused due to the machinery being broken.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request last year asking how often Nairn High Street was meant to get a street cleaner, how much was paid monthly for street cleaning and the number of times a street cleaner was used in any part of Nairn the previous year, went unanswered due to the council not holding the information.
However, the council did say “we endeavour to litter pick and assess any dangerous issue of broken glass or sharps in zone 1 areas ie Nairn High Street on a minimum of a daily basis.”
And it added: “There has been a rare occasion due to staffing issues that we could not meet this minimum requirement. This is something that we continually monitor and has been addressed to ensure a more detailed approach to covering the responsibilities of street cleaning.”
Ms Stuart said BID has done “everything they could” to prompt action from the council, “short of having major protests” and was now taking matters into its own hands , in partnership with Green Hive.
Nairn BID manager Lucy Harding said: ”We have a baseline agreement with the council that says that they are responsible for street cleaning, and we have in the past engaged somebody with a pressure washer to pressure wash certain sections of the pavements. We haven't used the levy payers' money for that.
“We've decided recently that we are going to really try not to spend any levy payers' money on this issue, because it's not our responsibility.
“We want to make sure that we get what we deserve and we show Nairn off in its best light.
“We hope to encourage as many people as possible to come and just lend a hand.”
The first clean-up will start at 10am on Friday at Seaman’s Hall in Nairn and heading to the High Street, followed by refreshments. An afternoon session will also see a beach clean at 1pm (also from Seaman’s Hall).
Nairn SNP MP Graham Leadbitter said: "This is an issue I have discussed with the BID and subsequently raised with Highland Council.
"Notwithstanding the ongoing efforts to have a higher level of cleansing activity in Nairn, which is the subject of ongoing communication with the council, organised voluntary check-up activities are great for community spirit and I have personally enjoyed participating in clean-ups in various communities in the past.
"Community-led activity like this can work very well alongside statutory services, but that statutory service must be provided at a regular and satisfactory level. I'll continue to engage with the BID, Highland Council, and local people."
A Highland Council spokesperson said: “The Council provide daily street cleansing in the Nairn area, this includes litter picking, emptying litter bins and regular mechanical road sweeping. The overall areas reflect a high level of cleanliness.
“The Council are aware of ongoing concern connected to bird mess on the lane next to the Court House and are making the best use of shared mechanical footway sweeper to help to keep it clean, however, maintaining areas clear of bird mess during prolonged dry periods of weather can be more difficult.”
