Consultations
Here you will find current and past consultations relevant to our area.
Just playing around?
As part of revising its Local Development Plan, The Highland Council is assessing "play sufficiency" across Highland - what formal and informal play spaces do we have, their facilities, what condition they are in and how accessible are they?
They have drafted a report (a Play Sufficiency Assessment) and are looking for comments on it. You'll find the draft report, a map of play spaces and a link to the consultation form here.
In Fortrose and Rosemarkie, the Council has assessed 5 formal play spaces:
- Rosemarkie: Beach play area - High quality
- Rosemarkie: Gollanhead play area - High quality
- Fortrose: King George V Park play area - Moderate quality
- Fortrose: Ross Crescent play area - Moderate quality
- Fortrose: Feddon Hill play area - Low quality
When incorporated in the Local Development Plan, the final report will be used by Council officers and elected members when making decisions about the provision, improvement, and long-term management of play spaces. So - if play spaces are important to you - do please contribute your thoughts to their report.
Avoch Community Centre
Avoch & Killen Community Council (AVCC) are currently seeking views on the use of the Avoch Community Centre, both as a local facility and as a potential shared community resource for the wider Black Isle.
The Centre is presently used by the Avoch Sea Scouts as their base and training facility, and is also available for hire by community groups and others. AKCC has recently been approached by Derek Martin, the Sea Scout Leader, seeking our support for an application to renew the Highland Council lease for the land on which the Centre is located.
The Avoch Sea Scouts provide clear and recognised community benefit through youth provision and wider community support. In considering how best to respond to this request, AKCC is keen to take a broader view of how the Centre is used in practice, how accessible and welcoming it feels beyond Avoch itself, and how it might best serve the Sea Scouts while also supporting individuals and groups from across the Black Isle now and in the future.
This is not a formal consultation but an opportunity to gather constructive feedback to help inform AKCC's discussion and decision-making. Any comments received can be treated in confidence and will not be attributed to individuals or organisations.
To help structure responses, you may wish to comment on any of the following questions:
- How have you or groups within your area used the Avoch Community Centre in the past, if at all, and what worked well?
- If the Centre has not been used by groups in your area, what factors influenced that decision?
- How easy or difficult has it been to understand the booking process, availability and costs of using the Centre?
- How would you describe the experience of accessing and using the Centre, including how welcoming or inclusive it feels to those from outside Avoch?
- For regular users, how fair and clear do you feel the current hire charges and agreements are?
- What improvements, if any, would help the Centre better serve the Sea Scouts while also supporting wider community use across the Black Isle?
- Are there activities or groups within your community council area that you feel could make greater use of the Centre than they currently do?
- In times of disruption (for example power cuts, flooding or severe weather), do you see a role for the Centre as a wider community support or warm hub?
- Is there anything else you feel AKCC should be aware of regarding how the Centre is managed or used?
- Any other relevant comments
If you are able to respond, please send your thoughts to AKCC by 31 January 2026.
Past consultations
North Coast 500 - a review
This survey has now closed.
It's 10 years since the North Coast 500 (NC500) was launched, bringing both benefits and issues over that time. Although not directly on the NC500, the Black Isle is a popular "side excursion" and affects us who live or work here. The company that promotes the route (NC500 Ltd) wants to assess this and see how it can improve things, not just for the NC500, as they also hope to use their report to bring together the patchwork of agencies, businesses and communities that support tourism in the North Highlands.
To do this, they commissioned an independent company (BiGGAR Economics) to create a "warts-and-all" economic and environmental impact analysis to highlight issues and engage with the local communities and businesses affected by the route. You can read more about this on the BBC news site.
NC500 Ltd asked for our help in publicising the surveys for residents, visitors and businesses. The surveys have now closed and a report will be published in Spring 2026.
Common Good 2025
These consultations have now closed. Links to the outcomes are provided below.
Along with other assets previously belonging to the Royal Burgh, "Common Good" land is now owned and administered on our behalf by The Highland Council. The income from these properties is allocated to Common Good funds which can then be used in our area.
In 2025, Highland Council consulted on the re-leasing of two Common Good assets: the Golf Club car park and the Rosemarkie campsite. The Council proposed to lease them for 20 years (car park) and 30 years (campsite).
The consultation closed at the end of September. You will find the Community Council responses below:
You will find the The Highland Council's decisions and responses to the consultations below: