Infrastructure key to 2040 vision

Fort William masterplan event hailed a success

Fort William residents spoke with a ‘united voice’ on the future of the town last week as they made clear to Highland Council and government planners that transport and connectivity in the area must improve before any developments can go ahead.

The construction of more than 250 houses, a replacement Belford Hospital, a centre for science excellence and the addition of 400 new jobs at the Liberty factory were just some of the projects in the Fort William 2040 masterplan that were pored over by more than 120 people during a full day of public workshops and discussions last Wednesday at the Nevis Centre.

In anticipation of a period of drastic change in the town, Highland Council, along with the Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, compiled the Fort William 2040 masterplan, which clearly sets out the 20plus projects that are expected to be completed within the next 22 years.

At the consultation meeting last week, public officials listened to lively discussions between residents, business owners and community representatives on the masterplan.

‘One clear message that was reinforced was the need for infrastructure change to happen soon,’ said Scott Dalgarno, development plans manager for FW 2040.

‘It gave locals, and us at the Highland Council, a useful chance to impress upon the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland officials the urgent need for infrastructure improvements.’

Mr Dalgarno felt the meeting offered a ‘refreshing’ chance for council officials to discuss future plans alongside local residents and to think about ‘the bigger picture’.

‘The biggest thing for us was that people left the room that day feeling genuinely engaged in how the town can change,’ he said. ‘We wanted them to feel equals and to work alongside us.’

John Gillespie, chairman of Caol Community Council, certainly felt the event was ‘a great start’ to planning the future of the town.

‘It was a really positive day and great to see everyone getting round the table and talking about the future. We should really concentrate on the fact the community involvement and engagement was of a very high level.’

Chairman of Fort William Community Council Alex Farqhuar was similarly buoyed by the meeting and was impressed that the public bodies had come together to ask local people for a longterm view of the town.

‘To see it all laid out, and with a real likelihood of it happening, was very encouraging,’ said Mr Farquhar. ‘Everyone spoke with one voice and it was clear that the most important thing in Fort William was that the transport infrastructure had to be fixed.’

He added: ‘We all feel Fort William’s time has come. We all think the town deserves it and we have all waited long enough. It’s the second biggest town in the Highlands, so it’s time we started getting some of the benefit.’

Among the projects discussed at the event was the potential of a kayaking centre at the bottom of the tail race at Inverlochy, while there was a general desire to better utilise Fort William’s waterfront.

Affordable housing and the effect of tourism, in particular Airbnb, on the housing market was also discussed, along with the expected increase in demand on schools.

Speaking to the Lochaber Times, Andrew Baxter, Lochaber area leader for Highland Council, said he was ‘amazed’ and ‘really encouraged’ by the reaction from the community.

He said: ‘What was important was that there were government representatives hearing about these issues and people from Fort William and Lochaber speaking with a united voice.

‘Quite often what happens with plans is that the plan just sits on a shelf gathering dust. But one of the most impressive things was the drive and commitment from the community to see these changes happen.’

Mr Dalgarno explained that the feedback and information collected at the consultation is now being used to refine the masterplan and develop a delivery programme and will help ‘better monitor how the component projects develop’.