|
Regeneration - A New
Section On the Future Of Caithness & North Sutherland
A new section of website focusing on the regeneration efforts in Caithness
and North Sutherland has been launched. The importance of the work now
going on cannot be underestimated and a look at the bottom of this page
shows the bodies involved in this new process to find a new future for the
far north post Dounreay.
The site
www.caithness.org/regeneration provides a one stop shop for
local people to obtain up-to-date news and information on progress made by
the Caithness Regeneration Partnership (CRP).
The CRP was established earlier
this year to assist the development of the area's economy during the
period of the Dounreay nuclear plant's run-down.
A huge amount of work has been
going on already towards regeneration of the economy in Caithness and
North Sutherland. The website draws together some of the strands where
action is underway, including the proposed Nuclear Skills Academy,
development on the Wick marina, and training for young people through
apprentice programmes in decommissioning and engineering.
The Partnership is made up of four
key organisations - Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), The Highland
Council, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and the Scottish
Executive.
The Dounreay site has played a huge
part in the economy of Caithness and North Sutherland for more than 50
years and there are a number of initiatives already being developed to
assist employees and contractors look at their long term future.
Carroll Buxton, chief executive of
HIE Caithness and Sutherland said: "We are looking at a number of
opportunities to sustain employment in the area and to diversify the
economy in the longer term. Key development opportunities include the
marine energy resource, attracting inward investment into the area and
further developing the tourism and food and drink sectors. We have a
strong partnership in place for delivering the final plan and we are
confident that our area has a prosperous future."
John Farquhar of the NDA, said:
"There has been a tremendous amount of work already undertaken and it is
important to keep the local community informed of progress. Having one
focal point which sets out the partnership's activities ensures this is
done."
Ian Hargrave, the Highland Council's corporate manger for Caithness
Sutherland and Easter Ross, said: "There is a new sense of urgency in the
community to identify ways of regenerating the economy in the wake of the
Dounreay rundown. This is why the CRP has been formed with a clear and
realistic plan at its heart. Based on the strategy produced by the
socio-economic working group chaired by John Thurso MP, the plan will
include all of the activities needed to transform the Caithness and North
Sutherland economy."
Full details of the plan will be
revealed at a conference held Friday 14 September. More information on
this conference can be found
HERE
The Partnership Structure
There are four key elements to the partnership structure - an
executive board, a senior officers group, dedicated staff resources and a
stakeholders group.
One
A small group of senior executives, The Executive Board, will oversee
delivery of the strategy and action plan, meeting on a quarterly basis.
The Executive Board will be accountable for delivery of the strategy and
comprises of:
Highlands and Islands Enterprise
The Highland Council
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Scottish Executive
Two
A team of experts within the key organisations - The Senior Officers Group
- will be established to ensure the work is implemented. They have the
responsibility to commit resources on behalf of their organisations and be
accountable for the implementation of agreed actions and projects within
specific timescales. This team will reflect the core membership of the
Executive Board and will also involve other key partners - such as UKAEA
and the North Highland College as required.
Three
The Stakeholder Group - a group representing a wide variety of local
interests, will act as a 'parliament', meeting bi-annually, receiving
quarterly reports on progress and offering feedback on behalf of local,
regional and national interests.
Four
Delivery is key to the successful future of the area and the partners
recognise the need for additional dedicated staff resource to assist with
the delivery of the strategy. As a result the partners have agreed to
strengthen local resources to ensure that the necessary expertise is
available - The Partnership Team. |