Transfer of Bignold House to Wick Academy to be considered by Caithness councillors
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Members of Highland Council's Caithness committee will next week be asked to approve the lease of Bignold House to Wick Academy Football Club.
The property is currently lying vacant and the club wants to bring the building, next to Bignold Park, back into use for office and meeting space, tea facilities, and hospitality space for sponsors and guests.
Under the proposals, which local councillors are being asked to approve on Monday, the building would also be available for community groups to rent. Wick Academy would also install new toilets on the upper floor and disabled facilities on the ground floor.
Bignold House is part of Wick's new Common Good Fund and a long-term lease to Wick Academy would require consent from the sheriff court.
Five responses were received to the consultation, all of which were supportive of the transfer. Wick Community Council noted that the lease made sense as the property is lying empty, and it will generate income for the Common Good.
Councillors will also be asked to agree traffic calming and pedestrian crossing points at Castletown and Noss.
Campaigners in Castletown have been pushing for a pedestrian crossing to be installed on Main Street to give safer access to the play park, while the school has also highlighted crossing the road as an area of concern.
Highland Council officers propose to install two uncontrolled crossings, which would see the street narrowed to a single lane with give way markers – one near the playground and one between Calders Lane and Gunns Lane.
A number of representations were received by the council, including supporters and objectors. Some of the concerns raised include traffic using other streets to bypass the proposed traffic calming features.
At Noss, speed cushions, raised tables and some junction realignments have been proposed to deal with speeding concerns raised by Noss Primary School.
There is one objection for councillors to consider in relation to the Noss proposal, which argues it is a waste of money and would reduce safety rather than increase it.
Local councillors will also consider a proposed 20mph scheme for residential areas of Thurso, including some traffic calming measures. Members of the committee will be asked to approve the plans, which are supported by Police Scotland, subject to consideration of one outstanding objection.
A temporary 20mph speed limit was introduced as part of the Covid measures in March 2021 and expires next month.
The proposed permanent scheme is part of the council’s overall strategy to introduce 20mph speed limits in towns and residential areas as a measure to improve road safety, provide an environment to encourage healthier and more sustainable transport choices such as walking and cycling, benefit casualty reduction and severity, and improve the safety of school children.
The Caithness committee meets on Monday and will be chaired by Thurso and Northwest Caithness councillor Ron Gunn.
