Plans have been submitted for a “stylish, cutting-edge urban hotel” in the centre of Inverness which will create more than 60 jobs.
Patio Hotels plan to spend about £5.5 million converting Bridge House in Church street into a four-star hotel, with the aim of opening next year.
The applicant, which owns the city’s Kingsmills Hotel, highlights in its design statement that more accommodation is needed to meet greater tourist demand, and that the “outdated” former council service point needs investment to “bring it back to life”.
The statement adds: “This conversation will help to improve Inverness’s developing heart and bring employment, tourism and help future proof the centre of Inverness.”
The report also says that the total number of jobs created by the hotel would “exceed 60,” and that the applicant will look to partner with the University of the Highlands and Islands and local schools to provide scholarship programmes.
The statement highlights that, since the Kingsmills Hotel was acquired in 2007, job numbers have increased from 85 to 180.
The four-storey office building, located on a prominent corner position with Bank Lane, close to High Street and Bridge Street, boasts great views over the River Ness and to the marina.
The building has lain empty for two years and would be redeveloped with 79 rooms and a bar and restaurant.
Patio Hotels managing director Tony Story has described the proposed development as a “stylish, cutting-edge urban hotel” which would be “like a London establishment.”
The plans have been lodged less than five months after neighbouring Bar Revolution opened its upmarket nightspot at the former McEwens of Perth department store.
Business leaders have previously welcomed the hotel plans and the prospect of new jobs.
The applicant’s design statement also says that, through its experience at the Kingsmills Hotel, they have developed a policy of buying locally in all aspects of the business and attributes much of its success to their commitment to the local supply chain.
They also say that the construction period of the hotel will also generate employment in its own right, and that local contractors will be used where competitively viable.
Highland Council’s planning department received and validated the planning application for the conversion of the Bridge House building on April 19.