Nairn businesses get aid for spring clean-up
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Work on sprucing up Nairn town centre is continuing with grant aid to help paint shop fronts and business premises.
Nairn BID is inviting members to apply for grants from a Town Centre Improvement Fund, which came via Highland Council.
The funding will allow businesses to apply for 95 per cent of their costs up to a maximum of £500.
Nairn BID was allocated a total of £33,779 and £20,000 of this is being made available for the Nairn BID Members Small Grant Scheme.
BID manager Lucy Harding said: “We welcome the news that by the end of April all of our businesses in Nairn will be able to open in some form or other and we hope that as things with the pandemic move more positively, we can work to ensure that our town is looking the best it can.
“This money came to us specifically for works in the town centre and we hope these grants will help businesses make some improvements and give their premises some TLC.”
Mrs Harding explained that Nairn BID is also offering businesses the opportunity to have their gutters cleaned.
“There are a few premises where there is quite a lot of vegetation growing out of the gutters and we appreciate it is not always easy for a business to get to these
areas either due to the cost implications of needing to get in equipment to do so, or due to access issues if properties are shared,” she said.
“Nairn BID is working with a Nairn-based business to clean the gutters along the High Street, including the Brae, and Leopold Street, but what we need from the businesses is their permission.
“We have written to all of our members to ask them to apply and give permission via an online form.”
Nairn BID was also awarded £28,052 Scottish Government Town Centre Funding last month to deliver capital projects in the town centre.
The planned works – which will stretch from Nairn railway station to the Brae – will include new floral displays, decorative window vinyls, new signage, maps, interpretation boards and new benches.
BID chairman Peter Gibson said: “I see a lot of photographs from the past and present of how good Nairn is, we need to make sure we keep it looking beautiful.
“Work will also take place down on the seafront with the upgrading of the three bus stop-like information huts.”
