Scottish Water vision helping Easter Ross grow

What we're doing

As supermarkets vie for planning permission and property developers propose thousands of new homes, Scottish Water can reveal that it expects to invest £50million in Easter Ross by 2010, part of its £200million Vision for the Highlands.

From the development hotspots of Tain and Invergordon to the picturesque villages of the Black Isle, work is taking place to deliver real benefits to communities and individual customers.

Sheila Campbell-Lloyd, Scottish Water’s regional manager for the Highlands, said:

“It’s important that people know that we’re supporting the growth of the area and at the same time improving the existing supplies. To give an idea of the rate of growth in Easter Ross, in the past year alone we’ve been notified by various developers of plans to construct over 1,000 houses throughout Easter Ross. We’re confident we’re keeping pace. And all this investment is happening while our charges remain among the lowest in the UK.”

Planning Chairman sees benefits for himself

Highland Council planning chairman Drew Hendry has seen for himself the benefits of Scottish Water’s Vision. He recently visited the £7.7million upgrade of Newmore water treatment works, which supplies 9,000 people in the Alness, Invergordon and Tain areas. The upgrade is expected to be complete by the end of this year. The works should then be capable of supplying drinking water for an extra 5,000 people.

Councillor Hendry said:

“I am pleased that the significant investment made by Scottish Water in the Newmore facility will improve both the supply of water to thousands of residents and, importantly, open up many more connections that will speed up the supply of housing locally in the Tain, Invergordon and Alness area.”

Major Scottish Water improvements in Easter Ross recently completed include:

• Tain £440,000 waste water upgrade to protect important shellfish waters in the Dornoch Firth
• Tain £284,000 sewers upgrade to modernise Victorian systems of tunnels