It’s time for Planning Ahead – a round-up of the latest proposals lodged across Inverness.
A dispute has broken out between parents and local residents over the potential opening of a new nursery in the city.
Highland Council has raised some serious concerns about some major changes coming down the track at a popular hotel.
And the former home of Wickes will not be inactive for long – with a new tenant ready to step up and fill the space.
But first, let’s begin with the latest with a development ready to take place at Rocpool Reserve.
Rocpool expansion
A luxury hotel’s plans to add two new suites and an extension have been approved by Highland Council planners.
Rocpool Reserve on Culduthel Road is one of several boutique hotels owned by Inverlochy Castle, who are listed as the applicants for the venture.
It wants to extend a balcony terrace, alter some of the building’s windows and create two new windows as part of the proposal.
A statement said: “The proposed alterations to the exterior of the building are in keeping with the character of the conservation area and the listed building.
“The alterations are proposed on the west-facing elevation, which is to the side/rear of the building and is not visible from outwith the site due to the height of the mature trees adjacent.”
The five-star hotel opened in Inverness in 2006.
A one-night stay will set you back around £400 but the hotel regularly receives stellar reviews on TripAdvisor.
Parents back nursery but some locals aren’t happy
There’s a row brewing over the potential transformation of a city care home.
Wee Buttons Childcare wants to turn the former Elmgrove Nursing Home on Ballifeary Road into a children’s nursery.
The care home was shut down in November 2019 after inspectors identified several failures that led to “serious risk” to the health of people living there.
Five years on, a planning application has been lodged to transform the two-storey building.
A statement from the applicant said it wanted to help address the lack of childcare provision in the Highland capital.
It said: “The recent expansion of areas like Ness Castle has created new housing developments but there is limited childcare available across the whole of Inverness.
“By establishing a nursery, I can help meet this demand and provide
parents with a trusted and reliable place to entrust the care of their children.”
That message has been echoed in five letters of support that have been lodged with Highland Council.
One from Joanna Imrie said: “As a new mother who has just had my first child, I am already feeling the pressure of trying to secure childcare for when I return to work.
“Unfortunately, I’ve found it incredibly difficult to get a spot at other nurseries, which makes me extremely nervous about balancing my job and caring for my baby.
This new nursery would be a real lifesaver for me and many other parents in similar situations.”
Rhiannon McVey added: “It would be tremendous for the community to have a family-run nursery and it will be a much welcome relief to working families that more childcare will be available.”
Objections raised about nursery plans
However, there have been three objections from Ballifeary Road residents.
Ballifeary Guest House owner Fraser Mathieson said he was concerned about “noise pollution” and increased traffic.
He said: “The early operating hours, increased noise, traffic congestion, and potential safety issues would have a detrimental effect on our guest house business and the quality of life in our neighbourhood.”
James Eckersley, owner of the Ladies Lodge guest house – which is next door to the former care home – also raised concerns about “crying or shrieking kids”.
He added: “The purchase/development of the former nursing home property would be better suited and more compatible with the neighbourhood if kept as an accommodation-focused facility.”
Could boundary issue scupper Premier Inn’s expansion plans?
A few months ago we told you about the Premier Inn’s plans to expand one of its Inverness hotels.
Premier Inn West, which is located west of the Caledonian Canal on Glenurquhart Road, has lodged a proposal to transform its closed Beefeater restaurant into 40 new rooms.
The hotel currently has 130 rooms but wants to expand to 170 by using the restaurant and building an annexe to the north of the current site.
However, Highland Council may have thrown a spanner in the works of that plan by raising an objection.
Emma Micklethwaite, objecting on behalf of the council’s housing development team, said: “The Premier Inn’s current proposals extend outwith their title to the north, into land owned by the Highland Council. We object on this basis.
“This is the second time a Premier Inn application has exceeded site ownership. Efforts to raise this with Premier Inn or its representatives have not been successful.”
The previous time the hotel chain exceeded the site boundary was in 2018, when it sited its gas tanks on council land.
The council then had to add a fireproof wall and adjust its plans for the nearby land around the tanks.
Mrs Micklethwaite added: “Part of the Premier Inn’s proposals should really include offering to purchase the land the gas tanks occupy or re-siting the gas tanks within land they own.”
The council has also queried why the number of parking spaces is being reduced from 188 to 171 when 40 new rooms are being added.
Architects previously said this shouldn’t be an issue, however.
They reckon that losing the usual diners who turned up just to tuck in at the Beefeater will leave plenty room for hotel guests.
Home Bargains looking for another foothold in Inverness
Popular discount retailer Home Bargains is poised to step up to fill the space left vacant by the closure of Wickes in Inverness earlier this year.
A planning application to allow the continued use of the large building at the corner of Longman Road and Henderson Road has been lodged by Sackville UK Property Select II No 1.
If approved, Home Bargains will take over the site.
It will employ around 60 full-time equivalent staff.
Part of the application discusses why vacant city centre units were not considered suitable for Home Bargains.
Most of the units are too small and the former home of Debenhams in the Eastgate Centre has around four times as much floorspace as the company needs.
There is already a Home Bargains less than a mile away in Rose Street.
But according to the developer, the lack of an “outdoor projects area” demonstrates the need for another unit in the city.
Spotted any plans you think we should know about? Get in touch at north@ajl.co.uk
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