Plans have been unveiled for a massive new business and retail park in Inverness – paving the way for the creation of more than 2,000 jobs.
The old Longman landfill site has been earmarked for the development as one of five major projects put forward for cash from the £315million Inverness City-Region Deal.
A 44-acre site at the former rubbish dump would be turned into almost 500,000sq ft of offices and shops – making it two-thirds bigger than the Inverness Shopping Park.
Council chiefs said the scheme, next to the A9 Perth road, would create more than 2,000 new jobs over 10 years.
They have produced a business case for an initial £10million for remedial work to bring land back into use at the landfill site, which closed in 2003 after 60 years.
The proposal has now been lodged with the Scottish and UK governments as an application for the first injection of City-Region Deal cash, along with four other projects designed to “transform” the area.
An application for £15million to turn Inverness Castle into a tourist attraction has also been submitted to Holyrood and Westminster, as well as a bid for £11million to create a “Northern Innovation Hub” to promote tourism and deliver new local housing.
The other business plans seek £3million to help create a new Science Skills Academy, including connected “Newton Rooms” in five locations across the region, and another to deliver a new School of Health, Social Care and Life Sciences at the University of the Highlands and Islands.
It is hoped that over 10 years the new UHI school could help achieve a total of £40million in sales of new medical technology products and services, as well as providing 169 new jobs.
Highland Council leader Margaret Davidson hailed the milestone last night.
“The City-Region Deal will bring enormous benefits and opportunities to the Highlands over the next 20 years, through financial investment, collaborative working and strategic thinking,” she said.
“These individual projects will make a significant contribution to strengthening our economy and positioning the Highlands as a vibrant, forward thinking and digitally connected region which attracts inward investment and new business.”
The first five business cases are for £48million from the City-Region Deal funding pot, which was signed-off by the Scottish and UK governments in March.
Other commitments in the agreement include the delivery of the new A9/A96 link road between Inshes and Smithton, a flyover at the Kessock Bridge roundabout, and West Link road improvements.
Drew Hendry, MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, said: “It is excellent to see progress on these exciting plans.
“Whilst the benefits of the City-Region Deal will be realised over time, there is no doubt these projects will help transform our city over the next 20 years.”
Fraser Grieve, regional director of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, said: “These projects offer a great opportunity to harness the tourism potential of Inverness Castle, open up new industrial land, support the creation of a UHI School of Health, and increase the support to businesses in reach their ambitions.
“There are great opportunities as part of this deal to improve the areas competitiveness and support investment.
“New land is already being opened up as part of the West Link and when details become available on the timetable for the delivery of the Longman flyover and East Link, developers will then be able to plan and map out how the city grows over the coming decade.
“I look forward to the next stage in the development of the deal and the important role this can play in the economic development of the area.”