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New cafe near Wester Ross village, 3G sports pitch and facilities at new Inverness school and new constituency office for MSP

Sports pitch and multi- use games area for new Inverness school.
Image: Design team
Sports pitch and multi- use games area for new Inverness school. Image: Design team

Welcome to Planning Ahead – our weekly round-up of the latest proposals lodged across Highlands.

It might be the Christmas holidays, however, there is still time to get clued up on what’s happening in the planning world.

Plans have been approved to build a new cafe near a Wester Ross village.

A former beauty salon will be turned into a new constituency office for MSP Maree Todd.

Double classroom units are proposed for interim solution until the planned new Beauly Primary School is in operation.

But first, we look at plans for a sports pitch and multi-use games area near a new Inverness school.

More details on each of these applications are below.

SUBMITTED : Sports pitch for new Inverness school

Drawing impression of new school at Ness Castle.

Highland Council is seeking permission to build a new 3G sports pitch and multi-use sports area with lighting and sports fencing near new Inverness school.

Council bosses have resubmitted the plans as the sports facilities have been removed from Kier Construction’s contract for the new Ness Castle Primary School.

Pupils are expected to get into the new primary school at the end of February.

The school was initially slated for completion in August and pushed back twice to October then January 2023.

Now, handover will happen this December and the school will need some time to be ready to open to pupils.

SUBMITTED: Classroom units for Beauly Primary School

Beauly Primary School. Image: Sandy McCook / DC Thomson

Beauly Primary School wants to install two modular double classroom units.

These will be required as an interim solution until a planned new school building is operational.

This will allow for the vacated classroom building to be demolished before the new school is built.

The new build project is included in the Highland Council’s current capital programme, but this is currently under review.

A bid has been submitted to the Scottish Government to include the project in Phase 3 of the Learning Estate Investment Programme. One of the funding conditions is that all new buildings have to be open to pupils by the end of 2027 at the latest.

APPROVED: New Alness office for MSP

Alness High Street.

In Alness, a former beauty salon will be transformed into a constituency office for MSP Maree Todd.

This comes after plans were submitted in November for the change of use of a building at 31 High Street.

No significant external or internal changes are required for the transformation.

Maree Todd Scottish National Party MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross.
Maree Todd Scottish National Party MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross. Image: Sandy McCook / DC Thomson

The offices will provide a service to visiting members of the public.

The site includes access to two parking spaces to the rear of the premises with access from Averon Road.

APPROVED: New cafe near Wester Ross village

What the cafe could look like!  Image: Highland Architecture

A new cafe and joinery workshop will be built near village Melvaig in Wester Ross.

Work will take place on croft ground.

Joseph Ross wants to provide a facility for both tourists and locals alike in an area where there is little in the way of cafée facilities.

Opening hours for new cafe and joinery workshop

The new cafe will open to customers around 6 days a week from 10am to 4pm through the season.

Meanwhile, it could be cut down to three days during the winter months.

It will employ two or three members of staff.

Drawing impression of cafe. Image: Highland Architecture

The joinery workshop will be used as an office for Mr Ross meeting clients through his carpentry and furniture production firm.

It won’t be open to the public. Working hours will be from 9am to 5pm.

He may consider building glamping facilities on the site in future years.

Further planning applications can be viewed using Highland Council’s portal.

Spotted any plans you think we should know about? Get in touch at sean.mcangus@ajl.co.uk

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