Community councillors are dismayed that a historic corner of Wick town centre has become a “disaster area” and “dumping ground”.
Their concern is centred on Parliament Square, just off the eastern end of High Street, one of the oldest parts of the royal burgh.
Wick’s first town hall is believed to have been built there, along with its first jail.
In June 2023 the idea of a clean-up of Parliament Square was put forward at a meeting of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council (RBWCC).
Members agreed to write to nearby business owners about the possibility of carrying out environmental improvements.
Treasurer Joanna Coghill said at the time: “It’s an important part of Wick’s history. It could be a community garden, there’s so much potential there.”
At the latest RBWCC meeting, on Monday night, chairman Allan Farquhar highlighted the continuing untidy state of Parliament Square.
Photos taken this week show a large mound of rubbish, notably fixtures and fittings that appear to have been ripped out of one or more properties, alongside discarded floor coverings and pieces of guttering. There is also general litter such as empty drinks cans.
“It is a disaster area, considering it’s a public route,” Mr Farquhar told the meeting. “It should be an attraction rather than the dumping ground it has become.”
He has written to Highland Council’s environmental health team on behalf of RBWCC.
The late Wick historian Harry Gray said in 2023: “One of the first town halls was in Parliament Square. It was built there so they could overlook the river and watch all the things that were going on at the shore.
“It was a two-storey building with stores underneath and steps going up to the first floor where the town council met to ‘parley’.”
The Parliament Square area is one of the oldest parts of Wick.
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