Caithness committee approves £237,155 for six regeneration projects including Whaligoe Steps

The Highland Council's Caithness Area Committee approved six Community Regeneration Fund (CRF) applications worth £237,155 at its meeting on Monday 2 November 2026, with two thirds of the money going to Whaligoe Steps.

The largest award, £159,500, goes to the council's own project for access and visitor infrastructure improvements at the steps, which the council's Historic Environment Record lists as Whaligoe Steps and Quay, a category B listed building (LB 14070) in the parish of Wick.

The council said all six projects address priorities in the Caithness Area Place Plan, which the committee adopted on 28 April 2025.

Cllr Karl Rosie, Co-Chair of the Caithness Committee, said: "The Community Regeneration Fund plays an important role in supporting projects that make a real difference in communities across Caithness."

The awards

Project	Award
Whaligoe Steps Access and Visitor Infrastructure Improvements (The Highland Council)	£159,500
Dunnet Community Forest Woodland Regeneration (Dunnet Forestry Trust)	£25,000
The Haven Upgrade (Caithness Mental Health Support Group)	£20,000
Thurso Bowling Club Upgrades (Thurso Bowling Club)	£11,383
Thurso Legion Community Hall Modernisation Phase 2 (Thurso Royal British Legion)	£11,144
Picnic Bench Provision Across Caithness (The Highland Council)	£10,128

According to the council, the funded work covers improvements to community and recreational facilities, upgrades to mental health support provision, woodland regeneration, picnic bench installation across Caithness and the access and visitor works at Whaligoe Steps.

Cllr Rosie said: "From community halls to mental health support services and major improvements at Whaligoe Steps, these projects will deliver lasting benefits for residents and visitors alike".

How the decision was taken

The applications were item 4 on the committee's agenda, set out in Report No CC/24/26 by the council's Assistant Chief Executive - Place. The committee papers asked members to approve, defer or reject each application and to agree grant awards, subject to any conditions, up to the value of the available area allocation.

A deferral, the papers said, would allow an applicant to resubmit at a future date with updated information or be approved if further funding became available.

The same meeting also had a Caithness Area Place Plan item, Report No CC/26/26, on its agenda. The plan groups community aspirations under three headings: People, Place and Prosperity.

Background

The council said the CRF brings together Scottish Government funding streams, including the Highland Coastal Communities Fund and the Place Based Investment Programme, to support economic regeneration and sustainable development across Highland.

This is the committee's second CRF round in three months. At its previous meeting on 3 August 2026 it approved four applications to the fund.

Whaligoe Steps has also featured on the agenda of the council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee, where it formed part of the Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Development Plan update and amendment report. The council's Historic Environment Record describes the site as stone steps dog-legging down to a fishing station.

The six awards approved on 2 November total £237,155.