'Positive' response as High Street plans are shared at Wick drop-in session
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Plans to rejuvenate Wick's High Street reflect the changing nature of town centres, members of the public have been told at a drop-in session.
Highland Council hosted the event at Caithness House today to showcase designs for the High Street pedestrian zone and the Bridge Street/High Street junction.
The proposed improvements are part of the wider regeneration of the town centre and have been developed from ideas drawn up by Sustrans Scotland.
They aim to create:
- Welcoming and more attractive public spaces
- A comfortable and safe environment to walk, wheel and cycle
- Better travel experiences through Wick town centre
- A sense of identity for the town centre, drawing on local culture and heritage
The drop-in session allowed Highland Council to share more details before it finalises the scheme, secures funding and moves on to preparing tender documents. Construction works could start before the end of the year.
Display boards were set up and members of the public were able to speak to Garry Smith, the council's lead officer for infrastructure, senior technician Carolyn Smith and graduate engineer Adam Manson.
Mr Smith said it had been busy since the start of the session at 10am.
“Generally it has been positive," he said. "People see that Wick does need some investment so I think they're quite keen to see something done to improve the environment in the centre of Wick.
“It makes the environment better within the town, and for people who are choosing to invest in a shop then it might help that choice.”
Mr Smith said the team had been able to answer questions from local businesses about access for their deliveries.
“Business will still be able to get their deliveries in," he said. "Bollards will cut out the through traffic but will allow them to get access to their businesses."
Mr Smith added: “Town centres are changing. People are changing their shopping habits, so by bringing in an area where you can sit and spend some time, that makes it a better environment.”
There appeared to be a steady stream of members of the public popping to see the plans.
One man emerging from the session explained that he had suggested shelters would be needed for seating areas, while he also pointed out that trees intended to enhance the appeal of High Street will need to be chosen carefully.
The man said: “High Street is a wind tunnel, and the prevailing wind is up the High Street very often.
"If you just stick trees in, they won't grow. If you think of the ones up at the campus, they're a sorry sight – so getting the trees right, we discussed that a bit.
“This [the council's vision for the town centre] is more or less Las Ramblas in Barcelona brought to Wick. The climate is against it, but if it brings people in...
“If you come into the town if there are a dozen folk on the move, the place looks alive. Some days there will be three folk, their heads are down and their collars are up. This is not Barcelona."
The man added: “We have visited a lot of towns around Britain by campervan and the most vibrant ones are those that have parking in the town centre – free, limited parking, half an hour, enforced, and people will come in, shop, and go.
“You could easily get 30 cars [in High Street] and there's plenty of room for pedestrians on either side.”
A woman who also inspected the plans said: “Most people's comments have been that we need shops, not trees.
“If you drive along Bridge Street, it's all potholes, it's often congested with parked cars. There's nothing inviting you to stop, and this is going to be round the corner out of sight.
“I think the town is an embarrassment, with all the empty shops.”
Speaking ahead of the drop-in session, council leader Raymond Bremner – who represents the Wick and East Caithness ward – said: “I want to thank everyone who has come along to the various consultation events and provided feedback to help us get to this stage.
“The designs capture the aspirations of the community and what is proposed will really give the town centre a lift and make it a more welcoming and attractive place for people to spend time in."
The project began in 2019 when Highland Council, in partnership with the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council and Caithness Community Partnership, applied to Sustrans Scotland for funding for a collaborative design process. The project team was led by Sustrans’ street design team, in partnership with the local authority.
The project team worked with the community between September 2019 and October 2020 to develop a concept design.
Following completion of the concept stage, a further successful bid for funding was made to Sustrans' Places for Everyone programme. This has allowed Highland Council to take the ideas from the concept phase and work them into a detailed design which can be used to tender for construction.
