The newly revamped Wick Caravan Park will eventually give a boost to the town’s regeneration, according to the park’s management.
The Wick Development Trust stepped in last year to run the site after the previous owners retired after 14 years.
The trust has an ambitious plan to improve the site over three years, with any profit made after that going towards community projects in Wick.
In last year’s off-season, work began updating the toilet facilities, installing new fencing and creating new access roads.
Chairman of the trust, Jonathan Miller, said: “So we had quite a few things we did over the winter, including various upgrades like improving accessibility for in bad weather, so we have added in three sections of road around the site to get in and out of pitches.
“We were only operating with around 15 electrical hook-up points for the campervans and motorhomes, which we have now increased to 66, so that has been a major investment in infrastructure, which has brought the site into the 21st century.”
The trust has also managed to mark out the pitches on site with an added capacity of 72 vehicle pitches and 18 tent pitches.
They have also created several hard-standing pitches, which would have been unusable and fenced off in bad weather.
Efforts are also underway to establish WiFi throughout the site, which lies on the scenic banks of the River Wick.
The first phase has cost around £70,000, including additional touches like play equipment, a barbeque area and newly planted trees.
For now, the team at the trust are “excited” about the upcoming season, with more than 1850 bookings so far, up from 1,600 last year.
Mr Miller says further upgrades are coming, such as the current “dated” toilet block being replaced during the 2023 off-season in November.
‘It was too good to pass up’
The reception building will be replaced with a net-zero building during the 2024 off-season, completing the upgrades to the site.
Mr Miller said: “Once the third phase is complete, any profits that the site makes will go towards projects in and around the town centre to contribute to the regeneration of Wick.”
This was the plan when they submitted their bid to take over the site, with a vision to help make Wick a more attractive plan to visit.
“It wasn’t something we went looking for. The previous tenants had been there for fourteen years and had decided to retire, so Highland Council advertised the site and took bids from various groups.
“When the opportunity came along, we thought it was too good to pass up.”
The trust has a 10-year lease on the site, split into three for upgrades/redevelopment and seven for regeneration.
“The trust is excited about the future of the caravan site with the opportunity to create an income stream for the trust that the town can benefit from is a very rare opportunity that we have to make the most of.
“While there is a lot of work in the next few phases, it will enable the trust to self-fund projects in and around the town, which is an invaluable resource to have.”
Conversation