Aim to tackle Wick eyesore shops hampered by absentee landlords
After developments in Thurso led to empty shops displaying heritage pictures, Wick’s community council discussed a similar venture.
Members of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council (RBWCC) discussed the matter at a meeting last week in the East Caithness Community Facility.
RBWCC chair Allan Farquhar said: “We’ve been trying to initiate discussions with the vacant landlords for over six months so it’s not through a lack of trying on our part.”
The problem of eyesore empty shops in Wick has been a topic of discussion for many community council sessions and it was thought that artistic or scenic posters would bring some visual appeal to the town centre.
Window-sized photographs of quaint historic scenes were recently sited in the front of vacant shops in Thurso town centre as part of a new initiative to brighten up the area.
A Thurso Community Council subgroup is working on the project as part of the Thurso Town Centre Initiative 2024. The stumbling block for a similar venture in Wick is the lack of communication from the buildings’ owners.
Wick community council member Joanna Coghill highlighted some of the local eyesores she felt should be tackled. “One is the old Rendezvous restaurant and the other is the old Woolworths building which could also be a health and safety issue.”
The former M&Co shop on High Street was also mentioned by members.
The chair said that a letter would be sent out to the local MP and MSP to further explore the options available to the RBWCC.
