HIE Commissions Firm To Plan New Future For John o Groats
3rd May 2009
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has commissioned Edinburgh based planning consultants GVA Grimley to produce a physical masterplan for John O'Groats. The masterplan will provide a sustainable long term model for creating an iconic visitor attraction which will include retail outlets, food and drink offerings and various levels of tourist accommodation. The masterplan is expected to be complete by August of this year.
It follows last year's local public consultation on the project.
Carol Gunn, head of transformational projects at HIE in Thurso said "John O' Groats is one of the most widely recognised UK tourist brands and the development of this masterplan will help unlock its potential to have an increased impact on the tourism sector at both a Highland and Scottish level."
All the stakeholders in John O'Groats and the surrounding area, including local businesses and Highland Council, will be consulted and asked to take part in the masterplanning process. Heritage Great Britain, owner of the currently closed John O'Groats House Hotel, is keen to get started on a complete redevelopment of their site.
Alan Leech, Chief Executive Officer at Heritage Great Britain, said "We welcome and fully support the initiative being led by HIE to re-establish John O'Groats as an iconic destination and are extremely happy with the appointment of GVA Grimley to undertake the development of this vital masterplan. All at Heritage Great Britain are looking forward to working with other local business', stakeholders and the wider community to develop a sustainable long term blue-print."
Included in the GVA Grimley John O'Groats Planning Team are Tom Buncle, a former Chief Executive of the Scottish Tourist Board (now VisitScotland) and Andrew Lyle MD of RD Energy Solutions, a leader in the field of renewable energy technologies.
Richard Slippe, Director at planning and development consultants GVA Grimley said: "We have worked on many consultation-led schemes in recent years. We are pleased to have this excellent opportunity to assess a truly unique location with some fine opportunities and many stakeholder interests, and to provide our design, planning and development recommendations. We have a team which includes leading experts on urbanism, tourism and designing for energy and we look forward to presenting our ideas to the client later this summer".
GVA Grimley has previously worked on Western Harbour and Granton Harbour in Leith (Edinburgh), The Caltongate Masterplan (Edinburgh), Guardbridge Papermill Regeneration (St Andrews) and the Asda Stores proposal for Thurso, Caithness.
Related Businesses
Related Articles
A programme of remedial works to bring Scotland's only funicular railway back into service at Cairngorm Mountain is entering a new phase during week beginning Monday 15 April. With the snowsports season now over, multiple teams from contractor Balfour Beatty, appointed by Cairngorm Estate owner Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), are set to be deployed on the mountainside.
The five-year agreement between Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will also play a major role in contributing to regional economic growth. The signing of the agreement, by Professor Wayne Powell, Principal and Chief Executive of SRUC, and HIE Chief Executive Stuart Black, follows the official opening of SRUC's Rural and Veterinary Innovation Centre (RAVIC), a valued addition to SRUC’s School of Veterinary Medicine, in Inverness by HRH the Princess Royal.
Deerness Distillery Ltd has secured £246,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) for the £820,000 development. Construction is underway at the distillery, which was founded by husband-and-wife team Stuart and Adelle Brown.
The Co-Chairs of the Inverness Castle Delivery Group, Fergus Ewing MSP and Cllr Ian Brown, are delighted to announce the award of £30,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) in support of framing the 57 panels that will form the Tapestry of the Highlands and Islands. This financial commitment from HIE has contributed significantly to the preservation of the 57 panels created by communities across the Highlands and Islands, of which 32 will be included in the first exhibition as part of the Inverness Castle Experience.
Sumitomo Electric UK Power Cables Ltd plans to establish major operations in the region, supplying high voltage cables to the growing offshore wind energy sector. A funding package has been agreed to secure an estimated £350m in inward investment for Scotland, based in the Highlands.
As part of the study, businesses, community groups and social enterprises with future land or property plans are encouraged to complete a short survey by 22 March 2024. Whether it's interest in land for sale or space to lease, HIE is keen to hear from organisations already based in the region as well as from those that are considering locating a business to the area.
L&M Engineering has secured a grant of £58,914 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) for the development, which is set to boost business turnover by £1.2m and create two jobs over the next three years. The company is diversifying its operations to cater for additional aquaculture markets.
Most businesses in the Highlands and Islands consider their links with the local community as either equal to or more important than their profitable growth. This is one of the key findings of the most recent rural business survey commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) in partnership with South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE).
Dynamic business support programme, IMPACT30, is aimed at nurturing and empowering the next generation of innovative leaders. The fully funded programme is for people aged under 35 in a young enterprise and in a key decision-making role.
A project to increase electricity supply and reduce emissions on a west coast island has been awarded more than £25,000 by HIE. The HIE funding is being used to replace and upgrade high voltage transformers and other associated equipment to enable a major upgrade of the renewable energy supply on the Isle of Muck.
