Work is not expected to start on a prominent eyesore site in the centre of Inverness until at least late this year.
Community leaders have expressed their “frustration” at a lack of progress on the site of the former swimming baths at Glebe Street.
Tulloch Homes was granted planning permission in January last year to build a £12million apartment block overlooking the River Ness.
The Inverness-based company said it has been carrying preparatory works on site – but said it will need to develop a detailed planning application before progress can be made.
A spokesman for the company could not put a timescale on work starting – but said shovels would be in the ground “as soon as can be arranged”.
The site has lain derelict for nearly 20 years after the former swimming baths was closed and then demolished.
It has since been used as a storage yard for works on the flood scheme – while a number of plans for site, including building a new hotel have fallen by the wayside.
Councillor Donnie Kerr, Inverness Central, said: “I’d like to see something happen as soon as possible.
“The site has been vacant and derelict looking for a number of years now and it has been a real source of frustration that nothing has ever happened with it.”
Fellow city centre councillor Janet Campbell said it was “hugely disappointing” that progress had not been made more than a year on from permission being granted.
She said: “We are crying out for new accommodation in the city centre to help ease the pressure on our ever increasing housing list.
“Allied to that many businesses are struggling and could do with the economic boost from new development.”
Pat Hayden, chairwoman of Crown and City Centre Community Council, said that the group had approved of the plans, despite some misgivings about parking and play facilities for children.
She said: “I’m sorry that they haven’t got started because something needs to happen with that site.”
A spokesman for Tulloch Homes said: “We are undertaking a regular monitoring regime on site, checking gas, water table, and other issues to prepare for a full infrastructure programme.
“We will be coming forward in due course with a detailed planning application for the development for which we already have outline consent. Given a favourable response to the detailed application, we look forward to being able to start construction at Glebe Street as soon as can be arranged.”