John O’ Groat headlines for May 9, 2014

POTENTIAL contamination of land at the site of the proposed new Tesco supermarket in Thurso as well as legal and access issues, contributed to a 16 month delay in processing the planning application. That emerged after North of Scotland Newspapers obtained correspondence between Highland Council and the retail giant under a Freedom of Information request.

DOUNREAY will not, after all, close in 2025 with its operators now acknowledging it is going to take longer to complete the cleanup of the one-time UK fast reactor hub. Cavendish Dounreay Partnership, the Babcock-led consortium in charge of the decommissioning of the cluster of redundant reactor and waste plants, believes it could take several years longer to do the job and at a cost of several hundred million of pounds more than it bargained for.

CAITHNESS GENERAL is among the best performing hospitals in the country in meeting its targets for treating patients within four hours at its accident and emergency department. However, a local health chief has warned, waiting times could become longer due to an increasing number of patients being treated who would be better off attending a GP surgery.

OPERATIONS are underway to salvage the wreckage of a fishing boat which sunk at a Caithness port after it crashed into a pier due to mechanical failure. Scrabster Harbour Trust said it was hopeful that the Shalimar BCK 598 would be successfully lifted this weekend having been submerged for over a week. The Buckie-registered fishing boat, skippered by Andrew Gardiner, suffered a gear malfunction sticking the vessel in reverse and smashing into a wall on April 30.

A PLAN to move a World War Two memorial to accommodate a wind farm, has been slammed as “a disgrace” by a Caithness councillor. Landward Caithness representative Gillian Coghill hit out after a Scottish Government reporter upheld an appeal from BWE Innogy UK. The company wants to erect 13 turbines at Bad a Cheo, near Achkeepster over an area of 360 hectares But three of the turbines would be close to the war memorial which commemorates six crewman who were killed in a plane crash in February 1943.

GLASS-ROOFED trains which would enable passengers to better see the beauty of the Highlands, could be on their way to Thurso and Wick railway stations. Transport Scotland has received proposals from bidders for the tender of the ScotRail franchise to introduce the Scenic Route Trains which could run on the far north line between Inverness and Caithness.

TWO talented sporting teenagers from opposite ends of Caithness have each been chosen to receive a pari of tickets to an event during the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Craig Wares and Caitlin Harvey were chosen from the nominations received to the competition run by the John O Groat Journal and Caithness Courier in conjunction with the Scottish Government.

JOBS in Caithness should be increased following a partnership deal between JGC engineering and Aberdeen-based Optimus. This was said this week by JGC director Will Campbell who said the strategic partnership will enable both businesses to expand their services in the oil, gas and nuclear industries.