New trust to develop Wick town centre
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A MEETING at Wick Town Hall has taken the vision of town centre regeneration a step closer with the formation of a new trust.
Wick and East Caithness councillors had previously received a number of "expressions of interest" from local people interested in joining a development trust for the town.
On Friday evening, close to 30 attended the town hall meeting to inaugurate this new body – the Wick Development Trust (WDT).
The trust is felt to be the "preferred vehicle to take forward town centre regeneration", according to Councillor Nicola Sinclair who chaired the meeting.
Speaking on behalf of the three other Wick councillors after the meeting, Councillor Sinclair said: "Tonight was a really positive meeting, with a big turnout from a great cross-section of the community, including local businesses, voluntary groups, community councils and members of the public.
"Our guest speakers provided a really valuable insight into their experiences of setting up a trust, and we plan to meet again in August when Development Trust Association Scotland will be in Caithness to provide advice and support."
Guest speakers on Friday were Maysie Calder from Sinclair Bay Community Council and Rognvald Brown from the John O'Groats Mill Trust, who talked about their experiences of setting up a trust.
The guests emphasised the importance of "quick wins" as trusts can take some time to set up. "They all agreed we have a head start in that some projects and some funds have already been identified," Councillor Sinclair said.
The speakers also emphasised the need to "think bigger and be more connected", pointing out how the various Caithness trusts should work together on joint bids and a larger Caithness-wide strategy.
"I was most excited by the discussion around the table about the need to link up Caithness development trusts so that we’re all supporting each other and working towards a shared vision for Caithness, and we’ll look at how we can make that happen," the councillor added.
It was decided to appoint the WDT committee positions at a later meeting, pencilled in for August 5, after the organisation receives more advice on the ideal structure and skills mix needed.
Also at Friday's meeting, Councillor Raymond Bremner provided an update on the redesign of the riverside car park in Wick which has an initial £50,000 of funding to take the proposal forward.
Councillor Sinclair said: "We have ambitious plans, not just for resurfacing but for reimagining how the car park will work.
"It will go from being a former superstore car park to a town centre facility with disabled parking, family parking, camper-van and mobile banking spaces, cycle facilities, electric charging points, landscaping, improved bus stance and traffic-calming measures. Lighting and CCTV will also be considered."
Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity, has a new programme about to be launched called Scotland Street Design Programme and the councillors were successful in their bid for funding from that initiative.
It was announced on Friday that Sustrans will work closely with the council, sending architects and consultants to monitor how the town centre is used, and create plans for a redesign of Bridge Street and High Street. Wick Community Council is also taking forward the idea of an indoor market which will initially be trialled in Caithness House.
"We’re confident that the community will start to see some positive changes in the months ahead," Councillor Sinclair said.
