Wick town centre lanes project was ‘a learning process’ for community council
A project aimed at improving lanes in Wick town centre will go down as “a learning process” for local community councillors after the end result left many locals feeling distinctly underwhelmed.
Outgoing chairman Allan Farquhar reflected on the Wick Lanes Pocket Places initiative ahead of this week’s annual general meeting of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council (RBWCC).
Five designs by two local artists – inspired by aspects of local history, and plasma-cut from weathering steel – were installed in lanes connected to High Street with the aim of making the town centre more appealing and welcoming.
The project was supported by the Scottish Government through Sustrans Scotland’s Pocket Places programme and delivered in partnership with Highland Council and RBWCC with a grant of £45,000.
Described as a starting point for wider town centre regeneration, it was completed in March last year.
Reaction among the public could be described as lukewarm at best, with some describing the installations as rusty-looking eyesores, although others took a more positive view.
At a community council meeting in May 2024, members admitted the project was “not really what we wanted or what we expected”. One member described the end result as “poor” and suggested it did not reflect the work put in by RBWCC.
Speaking on Monday night, as he looked back on a “hectic” spell during his time as chairman, Mr Farquhar said: “One thing I did pick up on was a lesson learned from how the pocket lanes project was actually realised compared with what we saw at concept.
“What we ended up with was a big difference from what we were expecting to see.
“A lot of it was due to decisions being made at very short notice, changing where things went and where things could go.
“It was a learning process, and I’d certainly like to apply that to the next phase of the town redesign.
“We’ve got concept drawings, and that’s really what we’re expecting to see at the end of it – not something that has been changed at the last minute.”
He said RBWCC would be working closely with Highland Council.
Allan Bruce, who had been vice-chairman, was elected as successor to Mr Farquhar at the AGM which preceded the community council’s monthly meeting.