Harbour Street in Nairn to remain without public toilets - with Links facilities set for upgrade
Public toilets at Nairn Harbour are set to remain closed, local councillors have agreed.
At a Nairn Area Committee held on Monday councillors agreed that funding for upgrading the public facilities, which have been closed since 2018, or to build new ones, will not be allocated, however they will be exploring the option to install temporary toilets over summer.
On the other hand, the meeting saw an upgrade to the toilets at the Links, adding beach showers and improved disabled facilities.
According to a report presented at the meeting, the upgrade of the Harbour street toilets would have a cost of almost £191,400, whereas building new public toilets alongside a campervan waste facility was estimated at more than £264,300.
The cost to upgrade existing toilets at the Links was estimated at £110,000 (the same cost for the Whin Park upgrade in Inverness and up from an estimated £72,000 in 2021) - and an estimated £170,000 would include also the accessible toilet extension.
Community Development Manager Mark Greig said that funding options would need to be confirmed.
The proposals come after a discussion with the Common Good Engagement Group.
Area Leader Michael Green said that there had been “some really good feedback and innovative suggestions” coming from that meeting, with the group agreeing to find temporary solutions for Harbour Street and focus the main end on the back of Community Regeneration Fund at the Links.
Although full funding is yet to be confirmed, councillors agreed that money coming from the sale of the Grant Street Yard, - almost £58,000 - which was ringfenced for the renovations at Harbour Street toilets, should be reallocated to other projects.
However concerns were raised on the potential use of common good funding for the development of the toilets at the Links - which are currently maintained by Highland Council.
Councillor Paul Oldham said he worried that the use of common good funds for a council-run facility would spark strong reactions from the community.
Mr Greig answered that because the public toilets are on common good land, then it would not be inappropriate to allocate funding from the common good for the upgrade.
Councillor Green to request that a “clear delineation between Highland Council and Common Good had to be found.
He said: “We do not wish for the common god fund to take over responsibilities which are primarily the remit of Highland Council.”
Councillor Laurie Fraser said that although the toilets at the Links could very well be considered as a public asset, there could be the case to ask for the money for maintenance to Highland Council retrospectively.
“This is how it would work in the private sector,” he said. “There is a point there, they shouldn’t just be able to walk away from it.”
During the discussion councillor Barbara Jarvie welcomed the introduction of accessible toilets and the introduction of a changing places space as well as open showers which could be used by the Beach Wheelchairs project - which will soon start to be rolled out.
She asked that further funding should still be looked into concerning the Harbour street toilets.
Mr Greig concluded saying that an update paper with further details on funding and other aspects as well as taking into account community feedback will be taken back to committee.
