A long-established tourism accommodation business in Lochaber has lodged expansion plans to meeting increasing demand.
The owners of Ben Nevis Inn and Bunkhouse in Achintee want to build a low-set bunkhouse with turf roof close to the existing 200 year old bunkhouse conversion.
The new bunkhouse would supply two disabled-friendly rooms for the first time on the site.
The site already has planning permission for two detached holiday units, but architectural design service, Fair Planning and Design, says the proposed bunkhouse would not only keep pace with sustained high demand, but would do so with a building which ‘nestles into its setting more than the existing approved holiday units would.’
The designers say the site would be visible from along the Ben path to a radius of 300 yards and any development should therefore be undertaken sympathetically to its setting.
The proposed building is set into the landscape to maintain as low a profile as possible.
Six en-suite bunk rooms are proposed, with decking and outdoor seating.
Finishes include vertical larch cladding and a turf roof, with a natural stone wall built over the retaining wall below.
Existing pathways around the site and car parking would also be extended.