New Archive Centre At Wick A Step Closer As Proposals Go To Council Planning Committee

19th March 2015

The regeneration of Wick will be given another boost if the planning committee on 24th March 2015 as expected approve the building of a new Archive Centre for Nuclear records in the UK. The Highland council archive centre currently based at Wick library will also relocate to the new building where it will occupy a small part of it. The proposed building has a gross floor area of approximately 6,186sq.m. It is expected to hold between 20 and 30 million digital records and circa 28,000 linear metres of paper and photographic records primarily concerning the history, development and decommissioning of the UK's civil nuclear industry since the 1940s.

The existing Wick based Caithness Archive is also to be relocated to the new facility. The need for this facility was identified in 2008 when the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) announced plans to create the new archive in Caithness. This was in response to the NDA's duty to manage public records, keeping them safe and making them accessible to the public and the nuclear community.

Working in partnership with The Highland Council, the application site was identified. It is anticipated that the development will introduce circa 30 new jobs into the area.

As soon as planning permission is granted it is expected that contractors will be appointed shortly thereafter and the building is expected to be completed towards the end of 2016.

This is another in a series of investment made in recent years and currently including -
The new council office in Market Square.
New Wick High school 3 - 18 campus to incorporate the High School, new primary school to replace Pulteneytown Academy and South school, New Public Library and Swimming Pool.
New nursery facilities will be included in both new schools and allow for the 600 hours of education to be available to all 3 to 5 year olds.