Decision deferred on handover of main road to Ardersier Port
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A REQUEST to make an Ardersier road private was deferred by Nairn councillors over concerns that it might be closed to the public in the future.
Ness Planning, on behalf of the Ardersier Port authorities, has asked for McDermott’s Road – which has been an adopted road since its former owner McDermott’s ceased their activities in the area – to be delisted and passed to its ownership.
According to the proposal the new owners – who also own the land on which the road sits – would be responsible for the maintenance of the road.
They also insisted public access to the road would not be compromised.
Despite a recommendation to approve the new proposal, councillors sitting on Highland Council’s Nairnshire area committee raised their concerns over whether the promise to keep the road accessible to members of the public was legally binding.
Nairn councillor Paul Oldham said: “Although in principle we are in favour of unadopting the road to Ardersier Port we were concerned that, although the current owners had agreed to keep it open to the public at all times, that agreement would not be binding on any subsequent owner of the port.
“So if the port was sold then the new owners could, for example, decide to install gates at both ends of the road.
“The road is both a school bus route and also provides access to the Delnies Community Woodland, so we felt it important that we ensured that the road would remain open at all times and, with that in mind, we have deferred making a decision until officers can consider how we can correctly do this.”
The decision was deferred until further legal advice and information is gathered.
Highland Council would benefit from unadopting the road on financial terms, however, they would lose control over what happens to it in the future.
The road forms part of the plans for a multimillion-pound transformation of the site reported in last week’s Courier including the creation a new heritage centre focusing on McDermott’s history.
