Plans for the largest business park development in the Highlands are on public display Inverness Airport Business Park Limited is staging a public exhibition in Inverness Airport terminal before submitting a planning application for its 250 hectare site to The Highland Council in March.   It is estimated that the first phase of development to 2021 on the IABP site adjacent to the A96 trunk road east of the City of Inverness could create around 70,000 square metres of business accommodation, including an airport hotel, supporting hundreds of new jobs.   ... [more]

DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (February 27th) sold 2,313 sheep of all classes.   Store lambs (1,535) sold to £52 for Texel crosses from Cypress Cottage, Achterneed, and for Cheviots from No.   ... [more]

Businesses in Scotland are helping create a boom in environmental tourism as increasing numbers of companies and organisations seek to establish their green credentials.   More than 600 businesses seeking to achieve a bronze, silver or gold standard award for their commitment to sustainable tourism applied to join The Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) in the last twelve months.   ... [more]

The Highland Council is in the frame to be crowned Scotland's top local authority for community recycling, at a major awards ceremony to be held next month.   Highland Council has made it through to the final stages of the competition and will now compete against both Falkirk and Moray Council for a chance to scoop the Local Authority Partnership Award, at this year's Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS) 2008 Awards.   ... [more]

CAREERS CONVENTION HOSTED BY CAREERS SCOTLAND - THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS WICK ON WEDNESDAY 12TH MARCH 2008 FROM 6.00PM TO 8.30PM People living in Caithness are being offered expert advice and information on taking the next step in their careers.   The Careers Convention will be held on Wednesday 12th March 2008 in the Assembly Rooms in Wick, and will offer people of all age's comprehensive information on careers, employment, training and education.   ... [more]

A public meeting is to be held in Thurso next week to discuss the formation of a Caithness-wide body to represent the retail sector.   It follows the publication of a retail report carried out by Vector Research for HIE Caithness and Sutherland.   ... [more]

Given the significant change in the organisation of The Highland Council over the past year, the Chairman of the Resources Committee, Councillor Carolyn Wilson, is pleased that many results from an independent survey of employees show a positive trend.   A report to be considered by the Resources Committee on Wednesday 20 February states that a fourth biennial survey of employees attracted 5,056 questionnaires, giving an increased response rate of 40%.   ... [more]

More than one hundred delegates from northern European countries are due to gather in Aviemore tomorrow and Thursday [20 and 21 February 2008] for a conference to officially launch a multi-million pound EU-funded development programme.   The 45million Euros (£30m) Northern Periphery Programme 2007-13 is a multinational initiative which aims to help different regions to co-operate and address specific challenges faced by all parts of northern Europe.   ... [more]

Scottish businesses are being targeted by ruthless scammers posing as legitimate European companies in order to extort hundreds of pounds from unsuspecting business owners, warns Scots MEP Catherine Stihler.  The mailing scams are targeting small businesses throughout the UK and Europe, and Catherine urges caution when approached by and replying to unsolicited mail.   ... [more]

DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (February, 19th) sold 82 prime cattle.   Prime bullocks (52) averaged 145.6p (+8.0p) and sold to 168p per kg and £1,005.75 gross.   ... [more]

A report into the future handling of planning casework by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has today (18 February 2008) been published on the SNH website.  The report was commissioned from Heriot-Watt University to help SNH to make as effective a contribution as possible to Scotland's new planning regime.   ... [more]

FIRST PHASE OF SHAFT CLEAN-UP NEARS COMPLETION The first phase of decommissioning Dounreay's waste shaft is nearing completion.  A final set of boreholes in the toe section of the grout curtain and additional groundwater monitoring boreholes will see the project move a step closer towards isolation of the shaft from the groundwater.   ... [more]

To read the latest issue of Dounreay News - the Site Newspaper go to http://www.ukaea.org.uk/downloads/dounreay/bulletins/DNE_News_February08.pdf.   ... [more]

The Scottish Government will extend support for projects designed to breathe new life into Scottish town and city centres, John Swinney has announced.   Building on the Government's plan to reduce and for some companies to remove business rates, from April 1st, towns around Scotland will be able to apply for a one-off grant to help launch their own Business Improvement Districts (BIDs).   ... [more]

The Wick office of North Highland Products hosted a ceremony to announce the winners of the 2007 Mey Selections Producer of the Year Awards.   The winners in each of three categories - Aberdeen Angus, Commerical Cattle and Lamb, each received a silver cup and £100 prize.   ... [more]

George Cormack, Mey Selections Marketing and Procurement Manager, spoke at a Lamb Marketing seminar in Dornoch yesterday.   Hosted by Farming for the Future, the event was attended by approximately 60 members of NFU Scotland who were looking to make more informed decisions and develop their business.   ... [more]

A freeze in the Council Tax and a growth in spending to accommodate priority front line services has been confirmed by The Highland Council.  The Independent/Scottish National Party Administration were successful with their recommendation to keep the tax at 2007/8 levels and deliver a revenue budget for 2008/9 of £568.6 million, an extra £25.6 million (or 4.7% increase) over the current financial year.   ... [more]

DINGWALL, Lambs (1,569) averaged £32.31 and sold to £65 gross for Beltex lambs from No.  25 Camult Muir, Kiltarlity.   ... [more]

A team of Construction students from Inverness College UHI have laid the foundations for a successful career in the construction industry by clinching first prize at the annual Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Student Challenge in Perth - the fifth time that an Inverness College team has taken the top spot.   The HND students triumphed over teams from Glasgow Caledonian University, Heriot-Watt University, Robert Gordon University and other Scottish colleges with their technical and general knowledge of the construction industry, as well as their team project which was to produce a design brief for a proposed commercial and leisure development.   ... [more]

Trading Standards Officers of The Highland Council are taking part in a national campaign ~ Scams Awareness Month - to crack down on the misery and heartache caused by unscrupulous scammers, whose sole aim is to persuade consumers to part with their money.   Working jointly with the Office of Fair Trading, they are focusing on consumer education to help the public spot a scam and are encouraging the public to hand in to designated Council offices scam literature received this month.   ... [more]