A developer has lodged a planning application for a £10million retail park in Fort William that would create 150 new jobs in the Lochaber town.
The five-acre brownfield site on North Road, to the north of the town centre, currently has outline planning consent for 55,000 sq ft of non-food retail use.
But Morbaine is now asking Highland Council for permission for a larger, four-unit development and for the type of retail permitted to be changed to include both food and non-food items.
Supermarket chain Aldi and discount store Home Bargains have already been confirmed as tenants for the site, which is next to the A82 Inverness to Fort William road between the Rio Tinto Alcan junction and the Ben Nevis Motors Ford car showroom.
The Widnes-based development company is actively marketing the two available retail units to major UK retailers.
And it is planning to move ahead with the development as soon as possible, if it is granted planning permission.
Morbaine director Alex Brodie said: “We have now finalised our plans for the North Road site and submitted a formal planning application to The Highland Council.”
He added that, throughout the process, the company has been keen to engage with the local community.
More than 150 people attended a public exhibition of the plans at the beginning of March. Around half of these completed a detailed feedback form, with 100% indicating that they supported Morbaine’s plan to develop the site.
Mr Brodie said he was delighted that their proposals had been so strongly backed by local residents.
He said: “This proves this application is an exciting opportunity for Fort William, bringing new retail options for local people as well as significant jobs and investment to the area.
“If the retail park is given the green light by councillors, we will seek to begin construction as quickly as possible to deliver these new shops and the 150 permanent jobs they will create.”
He pointed out that the development would also provide employment during the construction phase.