Caithness Horizons to reopen as North Coast Visitor Centre 'after lockdown'
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Caithness Horizons will reopen under a new name once coronavirus restrictions allow, Highland Council's Caithness committee heard on Thursday.
The North Coast Visitor Centre will be operated by the council's arms-length leisure operator High Life Highland (HLH), with funding from the local authority and Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL).
The new joint partnership approach between Highland Council and DSRL will see each provide revenue funding for an initial three-year period.
Caithness Horizons closed its doors in February 2019, when the then operator ceased operations. In May that year, the council’s care, learning and housing committee agreed to commit to the reopening of the facility, with a capital investment of £200,000 for key building works.
The Caithness Committee heard this week that the majority of the capital works are now complete and all expenditure was committed and accounted for. The agreed council revenue support of £75,000 per year for three years will be matched by the same contribution from DSRL and this will be handed to HLH "on a timeline linked to a post-lockdown opening date".
Chair of the Caithness committee, Councillor Nicola Sinclair said: “The loss of Caithness Horizons was felt keenly by the community and partners in Highland Council, Dounreay and High Life Highland have been working hard to complete the capital works and come up with a sustainable plan to allow us to reopen the doors.
"Despite the impact of the latest lockdown, it was good to hear today that final steps are progressing as much as is possible in the current circumstances.”
She added: “To keep the centre open it’s crucial that we attract both local visitors and tourists, and the new name allows the centre to capitalise on the success of the NC500 and clearly indicate what the centre has to offer, not only in terms of showcasing Caithness history and culture but also as a community space.
"Local members have great faith in High Life Highland in making the venture a success and look forward to doing all we can to support them.”
Improvement works at the centre have included the replacement of the heating system including new boilers, repairs to the ventilation system and the mobility lift. There have also been extensive repairs on the roof and all work identified by a Fire Risk Assessment has been actioned.
HLH have had a number of visits to the facility to assess what further improvements and actions may be required to support reopening. This includes a number of improvements to the café area and the installation of ICT improvements including free public wi-fi.
Members were advised that although High Life Highland had plans in place to reopen Caithness Horizons in spring 2021, the current position in light of the current lockdown is that these plans have been put on hold until it is safe and permissible to reopen. In the meantime, they will continue the pre-opening engagement with key local stakeholders and community groups.
John West, director of culture and learning for High Life Highland, said: “We are delighted at the positive outcome of our discussions with our partners Highland Council and Dounreay Site Restoration Limited. This will allow us to develop and implement our plans to reopen and operate the facility once the current Scottish Government guidelines on Covid-19 allow us to do so, and to work with the community to ensure its ongoing success.”
June Love, community relations manager at DSRL, added: "We are delighted to see that, with the investment that has been made, the centre is almost ready to reopen. Tourism already plays an important role in supporting the local economy and this will be even more important as current restrictions are eased.
"Dounreay has a long history of supporting this project and our new three-year commitment will see that continue as part of our efforts to ensure the community remains vibrant and jobs are retained and created locally going forward."
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