Council Welcomes Progress At Nigg
25th January 2011
The Highland Council has welcomed the progress announced today (Tuesday 25 January 2011) in reactivating the former Nigg oil fabrication yard in East Ross.
Global Energy has confirmed it has been given preferred bidder status and is in the process of purchasing part of the site owned by US company, KBR, and securing a long term lease of the section owned by the Wakelyn Trust, with a view to taking over the site in April.
Council Convener Sandy Park said: "This is very welcome news indeed and signals real progress in unlocking the potential of this site for the offshore renewables industry. We share Global Energy's ambition to create a world class facility that will compete on a global basis."
Councillor Ian Ross, Chairman of the Council's Planning Environment and Development (PED) said: "I too welcome this announcement which had been eagerly awaited. Preferred bidder status is an important step in the process of transferring ownership of Nigg and it is important that things develop at pace from now on.
"As planning authority, we await with great interest the plans they have to unlock the potential of the site and re-develop it as the engine of growth for the Highland economy."
"We want to see a full and early use of the yard and a use which is compatible with the approved Master Plan. It is particularly important that we are able to grasp the narrow time window for offshore renewables development opportunities. The Plan gives us a very clear vision of how the site could be developed to maximise its potential and provide significant numbers of sustainable jobs for the Highland economy for the next 15-20 years. This will be fundamental for any consideration of any future planning applications."
The Master Plan recommends a multi-user industrial facility at the yard, advocating the potential development that will diversify activities into renewables at Nigg whilst building on its long-standing reputation within the oil and gas industry.
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Yesterday, Thursday 16 May, representatives from the tourism sector in the Highlands gathered in Inverness to take part in a Sustainable Tourism Strategy Workshop hosted by The Highland Council. The meeting, which was well attended with representatives from across Highland and different interests, follows the launch of the Council's public consultation on its Draft Sustainable Tourism Strategy.
First Minister John Swinney has confirmed the opening of a £1.5 million fund to support councils in removing the impact of school meal debt from families across the country. Mr Swinney said this commitment will help ensure no child is penalised for struggling to pay for school meals as a result of the cost of living crisis.
Todays Audit Scotland report Local government budgets 2024/25 reveals how dire council budgets are. This makes many more cuts in services likely in coming years.
At the Highland Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee. (Thursday 2 May 2024) Members had the opportunity to review the work the Council is doing to progress active travel and improve road safety before approving the next steps.
At the meeting of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee members had the opportunity to review the last two years of the Community Regeneration Funding Programme before agreeing changes to how the 2024/25 programme will be delivered. Committee Chair, Cllr Ken Gowans said: "Following a successful two years, it is a good time to review what has gone well and what can be done better so we can continue to build on success, and seamlessly move the focus onto how best to support the delivery of projects." "With 279 live projects and over £6million of committed funds still to be claimed, there is no doubt as to the value and impact of the programme's potential.
The Highland Council's In-House bus service pilot project was launched in January 2023. The success of its first year of operation in delivering savings and creating a valued and reliable service was highlighted at today’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee.
Members of Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee today (2 May 2024) approved the local authority's draft Ecology Strategy and Action Plan which will now move forward to an 12-week public consultation. The Ecology Strategy sets out an ambitious set of actions to tackle biodiversity loss and address the ecological emergency.
Economy and Infrastructure Committee members today (2 May 2024) agreed to direct £100K from the Council's share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to fund a new staff training programme at the Inverness Castle Experience. The funding will enable the project team to provide specialist visitor attraction training to young people identified through partners at Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).
The Housing and Property Committee met on Wednesday 1 May 2024 and noted the Housing Service performance report 2023/24 that met the agreed priorities and associated initiatives in the Local Housing Strategy 2023-2028. The report highlighted a number of achievements in 2023/24 in increasing housing supply.
Kate Lackie, Malcolm MacLeod and Allan Gunn have been appointed as Assistant Chief Executives with The Highland Council. Convener of the Council, Cllr Bill Lobban said: "I am delighted to say that Kate Lackie, Malcolm MacLeod and Allan Gunn have been appointed as Assistant Chief Executives with The Highland Council.
