Have your say on future of Tain Royal Academy Community Complex (TRACC)
MEMBERS of the public with a stake in the future of an Easter Ross leisure centre have the opportunity to find out more later this week.
A councillor last week urged locals to have their say on the future of TRACC (Tain Royal Academy Community Complex) which some fear could be threatened with closure.
Highland Council today flagged a drop-in event on the future of TRACC as part of its public consultation.
The local authority says the Thursday (June 12) event will give people an opportunity “to view more detailed information on the range of potential options for the future of leisure services currently provided at TRACC”.
Council officers will be on hand to meet with those attending and discuss the potential options.
Last week, Tain and Easter Ross councillor Laura Dundas called TRACC “a well-used facility that has been embedded in our community for more than 50 years” and said closure for any significant period would be “unthinkable”.
The drop-in will take place on Thursday, 12 June between 2pm-8pm and will be held in the Games Hall of TRACC.
In May, a survey was launched to enable the views of the local community to be captured.
The survey remains open and “members of the Tain community are encouraged to participate in the process to ensure the views of the local community are fully understood, which will ultimately assist in assessing the potential impact of each proposed option and support the decision making process for the future of TRACC”.
Highland Council - which has been accused of presiding over a “complex and confused” consultation process - is asking people to submit their views by accessing response forms using a variety of web addresses.
Individual Community Stakeholders and Users - www.bit.ly/tracc-form1
Young People - www.bit.ly/tracc-form2
Community groups - www.bit.ly/tracc-form3
Members of the community who completed the survey before it was amended (on Sunday, May 11, 2025) “are free to resubmit their response on the updated form”.
Councillor Dundas said last week that Tain could be facing a “disaster” if the process fails to deliver the positive outcome many are hoping for.
“The proposals presented by officers are challenging, and when you go through the consultation form, it’s hard to feel confident that a positive outcome is achievable — and that would be a disaster,” she said.
“People are worried, and I’ve heard a range of concerns from residents, including questions like ‘Where have they got their figures from?’, ‘Is this just a paper exercise?’ and ‘Has it been put together to confuse or put people off completing it?’
“That’s why the meeting on Thursday, June 12 is so important. It will be an open drop-in session running from 2pm to 8pm at TRACC, and I would encourage as many people as possible to go along, ask questions, and get the clarity they need.”
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