A planned £3.4m sewer upgrade in Nairn risks causing significant traffic disruption while delivering only marginal environmental benefits, according to community groups opposing the scheme.
Scottish Water intends to construct a new Combined Sewer Overflow chamber and upgrade the sewer pipeline in the town's Lochloy Road area. The utility company maintains that the work will bring important improvements and has been specifically designed to avoid extensive construction within the A96 carriageway itself. However, local organisations dispute this assessment and question whether the chosen location is the most appropriate.
What is the scale of the planned disruption?
The main construction work along Lochloy Road is expected to last approximately two months, while a separate project in a nearby car park will take around eight months. According to local reporting, the main Lochloy Road works are scheduled to begin on 5 October 2026, with preparatory activity commencing in mid-September 2026. A temporary works compound will be established from 14 September 2026 in a field adjacent to the Nairn Show Field off the A939.
The A96 Inverness to Aberdeen road passes directly through the centre of Nairn, with approximately 18,000 motorists using the trunk road between Nairn and Elgin, a town about 22 miles to the east, each day according to official figures. The Lochloy area is home to about 2,500 people, with the main route in and out passing through what community leaders describe as a struggling junction with the A96.
Why are community groups concerned about traffic impact?
Nairn Improvement Community Enterprise (Nice) and Nairn River Community Council argue that disruption to the A96 is unlikely to be avoided, despite Scottish Water's assurances. Dr Alastair Noble, chairman of Nice, expressed strong concerns about the project's justification.
Locals and tourists will have to sit in traffic jams while this work of marginal benefit goes ahead. It just doesn't make any sense.
Nice has called for a cost analysis study to be carried out on the planned sewer work and has suggested that the sewer could be better accessed where it passes through a grassy area called The Maggot. Nairn River Community Council also opposes Scottish Water's plans, arguing that volumes of sewage at the proposed site are negligible and that the overflow could be worked on anywhere along its length towards the River Ness.
What are the environmental objectives?
Scottish Water said the work would help prevent waste entering the River Nairn, which flows into the Moray Firth. The upgrade forms part of the utility's £500m Improving Urban Waters programme and is designed to reduce sewer-related debris, such as wet wipes, entering the river during periods of heavy rainfall while continuing to protect the local community from flooding.
According to planning documents, the existing overflow chamber is currently located in the centre of the A96 at its junction with Lochloy Road, and the new chamber will be positioned away from this sensitive section of the road network to reduce the need for future access to assets in that area.
What will the temporary compound involve?
The temporary works compound will be a substantial installation. According to planning submissions, it will include five staff parking spaces, a welfare cabin, a storage container, two skips, a secure chemical storage area and a generator. Planning documents estimate a maximum of 120 vehicle movements to and from the compound daily, including up to 50 truck movements at peak periods.
What is Scottish Water's response?
A Scottish Water spokesperson acknowledged that the work would cause some disruption for the local community but maintained that the project would deliver important improvements.
The investment at Lochloy Road forms part of our £500m Improving Urban Waters programme. The upgrade is designed to help protect the environment by significantly reducing sewer-related debris, such as wet wipes, entering the River Nairn during periods of heavy rainfall, while continuing to protect the local community from flooding.
The company added that the planned works have been specifically designed to avoid extensive construction within the A96 carriageway itself.
Once complete, the new infrastructure will be located away from the junction, reducing the need for future access to assets within this sensitive section of the road network.
What happens next?
Scottish Water is holding a drop-in information event at the Seaman's Hall Green Hive Community Hub in Nairn on Thursday between 16:00 and 19:00. The car park works are scheduled to start on 5 November 2026, with the overall programme expected to take around eight months to complete.
Key Facts:
- The £3.4m project involves constructing a new Combined Sewer Overflow chamber and upgrading the sewer pipeline in Lochloy Road
- Main works are expected to last two months, with car park construction taking approximately eight months
- About 18,000 vehicles use the A96 daily between Nairn and Elgin
- The temporary compound will handle up to 120 vehicle movements daily, including 50 truck movements at peak times
- The project is part of Scottish Water's £500m Improving Urban Waters programme
