The Focus North team recently attended Highland Council’s first pre-consultation events for the proposed £100 million Thurso PoD project. More than 150 local residents took part, offering early insights and feedback to help shape the emerging plans. Here’s what we learned.

Thurso is on the brink of a major transformation – and this week local people got their first glimpse of what that future could look like.

The pre-consultation events held on 9 and 10 December offered a valuable opportunity for the Thurso community to explore the Council’s emerging Point of Delivery (PoD) vision – a project set to transform education, community services and public spaces in the town.

The Thurso PoD proposes a £100 million new campus on the grounds of the existing Thurso High School, bringing together early years, primary and secondary education alongside modern community facilities, service points and shared spaces. By strengthening connections with UHI North, West and Hebrides, the development aims to create what Council Leader Raymond Bremner described as “a corridor of opportunity” for learners of all ages.

156 people attended the council events on 9 and 10 December, while around 50 S1 and S6 Thurso High School students also took part in workshops facilitated by Streets UK. These interactive discussions shared pupils’ views on the facilities required for the best community PoD and school environment, as well as the pros and cons of a new primary school.

During the events, attendees viewed information boards, early visual concepts and a set of FAQs designed to explain the project’s scope and ambition. As the PoD is still in the earliest stages of development, its final design will be shaped significantly by the insight and feedback of local stakeholders – including parent councils, young people, local residents and community groups.

What is a Point of Delivery or PoD?

The Point of Delivery (PoD) is a Highland Council-led initiative to bring together public service providers to establish integrated and co-located facilities that are easier for the public to access and help organisations to work better together to deliver services. There are three types of PoDs – a community PoD, which has education, leisure and other services; an office PoD, which provides administrative accommodation for a range of organisations and services; and a depot PoD, which offers a location for organisations to base their fleet, plant and other mechanical equipment and share facilities. The Thurso project is for a community PoD.

How will this make things better?

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform Thurso for the future. The £100 million investment by Highland Council in the community PoD will provide state-of-the-art education and community facilities along with other services and be a focal point for partners to develop further projects which will create innovation, skills training and accommodation opportunities to help give Thurso a sustainable and resilient future.

Why Thurso?

Thurso has been identified by Highland Council as a priority location with the planned replacement of Thurso High School, which is no longer fit for purpose. This gives the opportunity to create a community PoD which also offers other public services and act as a catalyst for projects by other partners to create transformational development for Thurso and the wider area.

How will you do this?

Highland Council are using a place-based approach to planning the future development of Thurso by working with the community, public agencies, the private and third sector to understand the issues and opportunities in a place. The place-based approach is knowing how a community is structured and how it works which helps us to make good decisions on investing in improved facilities and services and how to collaborate on changes for the better.

Where will the Thurso community PoD be built?

Following discussions on potential locations it was agreed to nominate the current Thurso High School site as the preferred location for the community PoD. The large area on and around the existing High School and the adjoining UHI North, West and Hebrides campus offers opportunities for significant transformation and improvements to education, community sport and leisure facilities along with strengthened connections to the UHI campus.

Will building there not cause traffic problems on Ormlie Road?

A full traffic impact assessment will be carried out to identify any potential issues and look at measures to mitigate that.

Who is going to pay for it?

The Thurso community PoD project is part of Highland Council’s Highland Investment Plan, which will invest £2 billion in infrastructure projects across the region. £100 million has been agreed and committed for the Thurso community PoD project.

Who will be involved?

To help guide this investment, the Thurso Transformation Delivery Group (TTDG) has been set up to collaborate on projects being delivered by different organisations and help maximise the benefits for Thurso and Caithness. The TTDG’s priorities include skills development, innovation and creating long-term economic and social opportunities. The current members of the TTDG include:

North Highland Chamber of Commerce
Community Planning Partnership
Focus North
Highland Council
Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Highlife Highland
Hub North Scotland
NHS Highland
Nuclear Restoration Services Dounreay / Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
UHI Environmental Research Institute  and UHI North, West and Hebrides
Thurso Community Council
Thurso Community Development Trust

Will the public have a say in what is being built?

These pre-consultation events are just the start of the engagement process with the Thurso community and partners. We will listen to the public to understand their priorities for Thurso and work with partners to help create a masterplan to identify local opportunities and plan and deliver a programme of projects.

What is going to happen to Thurso’s primary schools?

Although education provision is just one part of the community PoD approach, the future configuration of schools will be a key factor in delivering a well-planned learning estate that meets current needs and anticipates future requirements and makes full use of the opportunities available. Pupils, staff, parents and the wider community will be consulted from an early stage and Highland Council will draw lessons from other new education settings to maximise the benefits. The key points to be considered throughout the process are: Additional Support Needs, Early Learning and Childcare, Gaelic Medium, School Locations, School Management Structures and Asset Retention.

What other projects are being looked at for Thurso?

The Thurso Transformation Delivery Group is working together to deliver the following improvements:

A learning campus linked to UHI and primary schools
Key worker housing using existing sites and buildings
A new Caithness Depot Point of Delivery
A review of existing office accommodation
A review of leisure centres
Opportunities for partners to share premises

What happens next?

Following on the pre-consultation events and building on recent engagement with partners, we will continue to consult and engage with the public, partners and other stakeholders to further develop the community PoD opportunities and move towards creating a business case for the project.

Missed the events? Don’t worry – you can still share your thoughts throughout December and January by completing the Highland Council’s online survey.