Public Invited To Have Their Say On Wick Pulteneytown Conservation Area Appraisal And Conservation Area Management Plan

28th January 2021

Members of the public are invited to view and comment upon the recently created draft Wick Pulteneytown Conservation Area Appraisal and Conservation Area Management Plan.

Pulteneytown remains a unique area of considerable architectural and historic interest. It is Thomas Telford's (1757-1834) only fully executed town plan for the British Fisheries Society, and its most successful investment; in the 19th century it was the largest herring fishing port in Europe. Today, the integrity of the original plan and built form of Pulteneytown remains largely in place. The design of the 19th century Inner and Outer Harbours is still intact.

Take part in the consultation here

Within the area is a wealth of original Georgian buildings and a small number of later Victorian buildings, with little historic redevelopment on original lots. Buildings and structures demonstrate construction methods individual to Wick, with locally quarried Caithness stone worked in traditional ways to create distinctive construction details. The distinctive housing and industrial areas sit comfortably beside each other, displaying their past and present individual uses.

Commenting on the draft documents, Chair of Caithness Committee Councillor Nicola Sinclair said: "What shines through from these papers is how very special and unique Pulteneytown is, not just in a Highland context but nationally. I feel we need to do more to celebrate and promote that history, and crucially these plans help us protect it for future generations. I would encourage members of the public to view and comment upon these informative papers via the consultation portal."

Speaking about the draft CAA & CAMP, Ian Leith, Chair of The Wick Society Heritage said: "The CAA and CAMP includes a fresh assessment of the Pulteneytown Conservation Area boundary to ensure it accurately reflects what is important in terms of our heritage. It also considers what opportunities and challenges currently face the Conservation Area and the Wick Society would welcome any opportunity to help shape the future of our area."

The draft documents are available to view on line at https://consult.highland.gov.uk/kse/ between 28 January and 11 March 2021.