Town Centre Funding to improve Caithness CCTV
20th February 2021
Members of the Caithness Committee have agreed to use Town Centre Funding to invest in the CCTV infrastructure for both Wick and Thurso.
£16,100 will be used to digitalise the existing aging analogue public space CCTV system in Wick town centre and connection of the new system into the council's CCTV monitoring office with £25,625 to do the same for Thurso town centre.
In September last year the Scottish Government announced extra funding through the Town Centre Fund as part of its national economic recovery stimulus package, particularly aimed at supporting construction activity across Scotland. The Highland Council has received an additional £1,066,000, providing an extra £56,104 for investing into Thurso and Wick.
At the meeting today members also agreed a variance to the 2019/20 Town Centre Funded public realm project being delivered by Thurso Community Development Trust. The remaining £2,379 of the 2020/21 TCF area allocation will be awarded to the Trust for this project. The wayfinding element is now on hold and in its place the Trust will now deliver their market stall initiative at a cost of £8,763. Members also agreed to invest £8,616 on the refurbishment of the Precinct clock.
Chair of the Committee, Cllr Nicola Sinclair said: ‘I'm delighted to see the proposals for enhanced CCTV go ahead. The second tranche of town centre fund money is relatively small, so it was important we found projects of an appropriate scale that could be delivered quickly. CCTV has an important role in public safety, but it also protects our other investments in the town centre environment by discouraging vandalism. In the various public consultations undertaken recently and in community council meetings, improved CCTV is a common request from the community, so I'm pleased we're now in a position to take this forward. The regeneration of both Wick and Thurso town centres is a huge project and has faced new challenges with covid but we are making progress."
All Town Centre Fund money needs to be committed by March this year and projects completed by September 2021.
Last month the committee approved £12,000 of this money to go towards additional works to complete a key site redevelopment project at 126 High Street, Wick so the Highland Housing Alliance (HHA) who acquired the derelict property with land can complete the demolition of the property before transferred the land to the Wick Development Trust for redevelopment.
Also on the agenda
Item 3: Town Centre Fund Report, 91.73 KB
Item 4: Wick and Thurso Active Travel Masterplans Report, 18.45 MB
Item 5: Housing Revenue Account: Garage Rents 2021/22 Report, 66.51 KB
See papers for the meeting at https://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/4393/caithness_committee
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Yesterday
Council welcomes Visitor Levy flexibility plan
The Highland Council welcomes moves by the Scottish Government to introduce greater flexibility on how it could design a Visitor Levy Scheme for consultation. The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024 currently provides local authorities with discretionary powers to implement percentage-based levies following statutory consultation.Yesterday
Highland Council is reaching out for views to shape its next 26/27 budget.
As it looks to set out its forthcoming priorities, the council is seeking involvement from members of the public, including businesses, community groups, parents, and young people. All their opinions are going to be crucial in deciding how Highland Council will take on its budget challenge for 2026-2027.Yesterday
Have your say in Thurso's future £100million investment by attending public consultation events
Thurso is to benefit from £100m investment in education and community facilities and are rolling out the first phase of public consultations on 9 and 10 December 2025. The Highland Council is inviting people that live, work, or study in Thurso, to come along to the public consultation events to have their say; this is an opportunity to help shape the future of Thurso, to gather views and ideas.2/12/2025
Finding new owners for empty homes - Scheme launched to help return more empty homes to active use
A new online portal has been launched to bring empty homeowners together with prospective buyers or developers with the aim of facilitating more properties to be used as homes again. Covering the whole of Scotland, this builds on the success of local pilots, referred to as "matchmaker schemes".1/12/2025
Consideration for short term let control area in Skye and Raasay
Steps towards introducing a short term let control area have been considered by Highland Council's Isle of Skye and Raasay area committee. On Monday (1 December 2025) the committee heard evidence to justify the grounds for the introduction of a Short Term Let Control Area covering all or part of Skye and Raasay.28/11/2025
Workforce North event spotlights Highland economy
EMPLOYERS and educators from across the Highlands have gathered to hear how a new initiative is aiming to transform the region's economy. Workforce North - A Call to Action brought together business leaders and teachers from primary and secondary schools from across the Highland Council area with a wide range of partners geared towards education, learning and skills development at Strathpeffer Pavillion.
27/11/2025
Council calls for meaningful engagement from Home Office Over 300 Asylum Seekers Being Sent to Inverness
The Highland Council continues to call for meaningful engagement from the Home Office over its plans to temporarily accommodate up to 300 adult male asylum seekers at Cameron Barracks, Inverness. It follows an email on Monday from Alex Norris MP, Minister for Border Security and Asylum, to Council Leader, Raymond Bremner, which failed to answer questions raised by the Council or address community concerns.27/11/2025
SSEN Transmission becomes first signatory to Highland Social Value Charter
SSEN Transmission has become the first company to sign up to the Highland Social Value Charter (HSVC), marking a significant milestone in delivering long-term socio-economic benefits for communities across the Highlands. Investment commitments from the company include funding for roads, new homes, jobs, and work for local contractors in addition to a local and regional fund for communities to apply to.25/11/2025
Wick - Aberdeen PSO - Update issued 24/11/2025
The Highland Council continues to work through the procurement process for the provision of the Wick Public Service Obligation for the Highland Council. We have now entered the preferred bidder stage and have entered a standstill period.25/11/2025
Highland Council winter road condition and school closure report for 25 November 2025
Maps of the Council's gritting routes by priority and policy are available online at www.highland.gov.uk/gritting (external link) The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
Our Social Media
