Highland Council approves a strategic tourism infrastructure development plan clearing the way to start the process to bid for millions in funding for 22 projects Economy and Infrastructure Committee chairman Councillor Ken Gowans says 'officers can now begin to focus on a programme for delivering a further 22 ambitious projects'
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Economy and Infrastructure Committee Members earlier today agreed a strategic tourism infrastructure development plan which aims to future national and local area-based funding.
The plan now agreed frees officers to work up bids for 22 new projects to be delivered with cash from the local area-based Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF).
The purpose of the plan is to identify key priorities for tourism infrastructure in the Highlands over the medium term identified in two levels of priority:
Tier One –Identifies eight hotspot areas, where multiple sites experience multiple pressures across different types of infrastructure.
Tier Two - Identifies tourism infrastructure at individual sites out with the main hotspot areas that face similar pressures or have ambitions to attract more visitors to elevate pressures from more popular areas.
This time bidding can be for publicly accessible infrastructure, either provided by the public sector or by third parties or commercial stakeholders and will focus only on the priorities within the Highland strategic tourism infrastructure development plan.
Delight
Economy and Infrastructure Committee chairman Councillor Ken Gowans said: “Today, members endorsed the plan and officers can now begin to focus on a programme for delivering a further 22 ambitious projects.
“Over the past five years the RTIF has contributed to 29 projects and I am delighted to see the positive impact made to our rural communities and the improvements to the visitor experience.
“To date RTIF projects have received over £5.2 million awarded with a combined value of almost £9.4 million. This constitutes 35 per cent of the total national budget awarded and indicates the scale and commitment to making infrastructure improvements across Highland.
He added: “We recognise that we still have a way to go and look forward to seeing a further 22 future developments in the years to come.”
Which projects are in the running for cash?
There are 22 projects that the Highland Council and its partners plan to take forward over the next two to five years:
Glencoe and Glen Etive £1,450,000
Glencoe Greenway - A82 Glencoe Active Travel Project £500,000
Glencoe Village & Ballachulish Public Toilet Upgrades £220,000
Glencoe Village Car Park £705,000
Glen Etive Road End Parking £25,000
Glen Nevis £442,221
Glen Nevis Roadside Parking (Achintee) £61,600
Glen Nevis Road End Car Park (Steall) &
Lower Falls Parking and Bridge Replacement £145,621
Event Car Parking Nevis Forest £177,000
Expansion of the North Face Car Park £58,000
Road to the Isles (Glenfinnan Mallaig) £326,610
B8008 Parking and Traffic Management £326,610
Isle of Skye £1,320,000
Visitor Car Park and Public Transport Improvements £610,000
Dunvegan Public Toilet Upgrade £110,000
Bayfield Car Park Expansion and Toilets £600,000
Applecross £132,000
Motorhome Stopover Site £132,000
North West Highlands (Loch Broom to Durness) £2,873,871
Parking Improvements across North West Sutherland £368,359
Smoo Cave Parking and Toilet Upgrade £337,000
Blairmore Car Park and Toilets, Sandwood Estate £198,000
North West Sutherland Public Toilet Upgrades £502,000
Stac Pollaidh Visitor Facilities £642,000
Achmelvich Visitor Facilities £826,512
Fortrose – Rosemarkie – Chanonry Point £298,000
Chanonry Point Visitor Parking £298,000
Whaligoe Steps (Tier 2) £90,000
Whaligoe Steps Car Parking £90,000
