When it came to deciding what should and shouldn’t be allowed in Inverness, 2024 was a busy old year.
Whether it was in the chamber at Highland Council’s Glenurquhart Road headquarters or on the local authority’s online portal, lots of people had lots to say about what was going on.
It didn’t matter if the application concerned the heart and future viability of the city centre or an independent business trying to make its way in the world, the comments came flooding in.
These applications have been covered in our biweekly Inverness planning round-up and we’ve looked back through the archives to pick out the year’s most controversial ones.
Home Bargains
We begin with the most recently altered entry on our list.
Applicant TJ Morris is promising 40 new jobs and a much-needed retail boost on the east side of Inverness with the creation of a new Home Bargains store at Stratton.
Plenty of people agreed it would be a good thing and news of the company’s plans attracted a lot of attention when they first emerged in 2023.
And that was reflected by the fact that 112 people wrote letters in support of the plans. That’s a high number for a development like this.
But on the other side, there were 26 objections who raised concerns about pollution, traffic congestion and a reduction in privacy for nearby houses.
The need for Stratton to have more services like schools, doctors and dentists instead of a chain store was also well highlighted.
When it was time for the council’s south planning applications committee to make a decision, the vote was deadlocked 8-8.
On one side, councillors criticised the “boxy” design. And on the other, they hammered home the point that the east side of Inverness is crying out for more retail facilities.
Committee vice-chairman Paul Oldham had to step in to cast the deciding vote and he sided with TJ Morris.
That means Inverness will get its third Home Bargains store at some point in the near future.
Wee Buttons Childcare
We’re still awaiting a decision for this one, which would see the former Elmgrove Nursing Home on Ballifeary Road turned into a children’s nursery.
It’s been five years since the home was shut down after inspectors uncovered several failures that led to “serious risk” to the health of people living there.
Wee Buttons Childcare said it wanted to help address the shortage of childcare in Inverness by opening a new nursery.
That idea has been warmly welcomed by many in the city. But it has caused a bit of aggro among nearby residents.
One mum, Joanna Imrie, said the service would be a “lifesaver” for her and many other parents.
She added: “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.”
In the other corner, James Eckersley – owner of the Ladies Lodge guest house next door – has raised concerns about “crying or shrieking kids”.
The original determination deadline was in November – so expect a resolution to this one early in 2025.
Academy Street
It would be impossible to discuss contentious planning decisions in 2024 without mentioning this behemoth.
The plans to drastically reduce the number of cars on the Highland capital’s main thoroughfare certainly captured the public’s imagination.
Or fury, depending on which side you’re on.
Changes have been years in the making but 2024 was the year when we finally got some answers.
It emerged in February that Highland Council’s proposal was going to face a legal challenge.
In August, the Court of Session ruled that the council’s consultation had been “unfair to and beyond the point of unlawfulness”.
It put the whole scheme into jeopardy and in September, councillors voted to scrap the entire thing.
Most people accept something needs to be done to improve the street.
But coming up with a plan a clear majority will agree on seems to be the tricky part.
Dog Falls Brewing Company
This firm has been steadily growing since it opened the Highland capital’s first brewery since the 1980s a couple of years ago.
Before that, it was running from a garage at the home of owners Bob and Louise Masson.
Dog Falls has now set its sight on opening a taproom in the space formerly occupied by Semichem in Queensgate.
That would undoubtedly be a big boost for the city centre – but not everyone was on board.
A raft of objections were made by local residents – 11 in total at the time of writing – including from Cairn Housing Association.
The company’s commercial manager Louise Cook said: “We own a property in the residential block above this unit and feel that the change of use will adversely affect our tenants and the other residents within this location.
“Unfortunately, public houses, by nature of their establishment increase noise and
disturbance within their locations.”
In response to those concerns however, numerous letters of support have been sent to Highland Council’s planning department.
There are now 27 in total.
Ryan Mackay best summed up the views of those in support of the brewery’s plans.
He said: “Dog Falls are one of the most exciting breweries in the UK at the moment. Allowing them to open a taproom in their home city would be such a boost for business as well as the local economy.”
Another application that is well past the determination deadline, a decision should not be too far off.
Caley Thistle’s battery storage scheme
Alongside Academy Street, this application soaked up a lot of the city’s news agenda in 2024.
Caley Thistle was a car crash you couldn’t take your eyes off this year. And this application was the screeching brakes before the whole thing flipped over.
A successful application would have landed the club a £3.4m windfall and when it didn’t happen, things got ugly.
Some councillors were accused of “abusing their power” and being “hell-bent on killing the club”.
The situation was not helped by the fact that the planning committee initially approved the application.
A motion to hold a second vote was passed after so many councillors were unable to take part in the first one.
That stoked a feeling that something was amiss.
But the important context is that planning officers had recommended that the application should be rejected.
Four local community councils were also united in their opposition against it.
ICT appealed the decision, hoping that the Scottish Government would overturn it.
But last month, that appeal was rejected.
Spotted any plans you think we should know about? Get in touch at north@ajl.co.uk
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