Highland Council opens Common Good consultation on new Nairn Links Beach toilet block

The Highland Council has launched a statutory consultation on changing the use of Common Good land at Nairn Links Beach to make way for a new public toilet building, with responses due by midnight on 24 December 2026.

The council said the consultation, opened on 29 October 2026 under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, covers a proposal to build a new bespoke toilet facility on Common Good land next to the existing toilets at the beach.

According to the council, the building would include a fully accessible Changing Places Toilet, with extra space and specialist equipment for people with disabilities and accessibility needs, alongside general public toilets and outdoor beach showers.

Councillor Michael Green, Chair of the Nairnshire Area Committee, said in an earlier council release: "This project has been shaped by considerable community engagement and will deliver a modern, inclusive facility".

The design process

The council said a project board made up of representatives from The Highland Council, Nairn Improvement Community Enterprise (NICE), Nairn River Community Council and professional advisers was set up to oversee the scheme and consider options for improving toilet provision at the beach.

Three design options were put to residents and stakeholders through workshops, public exhibitions and an online consultation led by NICE. The council said Option 3, a new bespoke public toilet building, emerged as the preferred choice after the responses were considered. The design has since been refined and is going through the planning process, and a council release in August 2026 confirmed a planning application had been submitted.

The scheme dates back to August 2025, when the Nairnshire Area Committee awarded £45,000 from the Community Regeneration Fund to produce design options for redeveloping the toilets. Cllr Paul Oldham, Nairnshire Area Vice-Chair, said at the time the funding would allow work to move forward on producing possible design options.

In November 2025 the committee approved NICE, which already leads development of Nairn's Local Place Plan, as lead organisation for the feasibility and design studies. The council said the brief was for a modern, fully accessible facility that would act as an accessibility hub incorporating a Changing Places toilet.

The legal route

The current consultation is narrower than the earlier design engagement. The council said it is seeking views specifically on the change of use of Common Good land needed for the development, and that feedback will inform its consideration of the impact on current use and enjoyment of the land, any benefits or disadvantages, and any implications for the Nairn Common Good Fund.

Section 104 of the 2015 Act requires a local authority to publish details before deciding to dispose of or change the use of common good property, and to invite the notified bodies to make representations. The council said community councils and relevant community bodies are notified directly.

All representations will be considered before any decision is taken, the council said. If it decides to support the proposal, it must then seek approval from the Sheriff Court before the change of use can go ahead.

The consultation documents are hosted on Engage Highland, the council's new online consultation platform. Responses can also be sent by email or by post to the Common Good Fund Officer at the council's headquarters at Glenurquhart Road, Inverness.

The Nairn exercise runs alongside a separate Dornoch Changing Places Toilet facility consultation, listed on the council's Common Good asset changes page.

The Nairn consultation closes at midnight on 24 December 2026.