Excited about Nairn!

March 31, 2009 · Filed Under Development, Nairn 

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Last Wednesday’s ward forum meeting was full, with around 50 people in attendence, including public representatives, intent on hearing not simply what’s wrong with Nairn, but how Iain Fairweather and Brian Stewart intend to help turn the town around.

There were plenty of complaints, from omission of Nairn in recent marketing literature, to the eyesore of derelict buildings along the A96 through Nairn which give the impression of a town in decline.

Iain and Brian didn’t go into the details of their proposal – everyone present had a printed version to reference – so both men focused on an summary of intentions.

This was especially in terms of setting up a new tourist initiative association, which would aim to bring the tourist sector in Nairn, other interested local businesses, the public, and public representatives, a chance to try and shape Nairn – by building on its established strengths and Unique Selling Point as a tourist destination.

After all, the current A96 development plan seems to suggest that Nairn will be little more than a dumping ground for “affordable housing” to support the growth of Inverness. Yet with the huge amount of development work planned for the region, it seems that the tourist element – historically key to the area – has been overlooked.

Hence this is a way in which private business can be drawn on the public’s side to ensure that Nairn is taken seriously as a seaside resort to visit, and a quality place to live.

I know a few of us swapped business cards at the end, and there are going to be some meetings among people who are “Excited About Nairn”.

What may result from all this is yet to be seen – but certainly everyone keep away from the meeting with a sense of expectation and excitement that perhaps, just perhaps, the fortunes of Nairn may be turning around for the better.

In the meantime, I made the point to local officials at the Ward forum that as an employer I would need to see investment in Nairn before my own business can invest here, and publicly volunteered to offer free marketing services and consultancy from my company for any groups in Nairn.

Comments

One Response to “Excited about Nairn!”

  1. Jon Lane on March 31st, 2009 8:43 pm

    At the Nairn Ward meeting on tourism there were a number of ‘excited’ people. As I pointed out to the council, these people needed to be applauded for voicing their enthusiasm and excitement. I am waiting for the list of e-mail addresses supplied by those at the meeting before organising an informal meeting to try and harness some of this excitement. In the mean time, if others wish to contact me, I shall be only too happy to collect the details of other excited individuals who would rather let their actions rather than words move Nairn forward.

    jon.outthere@yahoo.co.uk

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