It’s time for Planning Ahead – a round-up of the latest proposals lodged across Inverness.
Tulloch Homes wants to make some changes to an ongoing major development close to the River Ness.
While NHS Highland is hoping to build a number of “micro apartments” at Inverness Campus to house up to 100 staff and students.
But first, let’s begin with the latest with the plans for the Merkinch Nature Reserve.
Merkinch boardwalk
Plans for a new boardwalk at an Inverness beauty spot are still in the pipeline – despite permission for a previous application running out.
Highland Council has renewed its planning permission to build the new structure at the Merkinch Nature Reserve.
The current boardwalk is more than 30 years old and there have been some concerns that it could collapse.
The new one will be wider in places and include eight benches.
It will be constructed using recycled plastic to ensure it lasts longer this time. And it is expected to last more than a century.
Caroline Snow, project manager for the reserve, said in 2023 the proposals had been widely welcomed by the local community.
Funding pressures have held up the project thus far – but the new permission gives the council three years to begin the project.
Change to riverside homes plan
Tulloch Homes has applied to alter part of its plans for new houses close to the River Ness.
The developer has planning permission for 446 properties in the area as part of the huge Maples estate.
In a section around 400ft west of Tesco on Dores Road, it planned to build 41 homes that were a mix of terraced, semi-detached and detached.
But Tulloch wants to scale that number back to 25 – and make all of the homes detached.
According to a statement alongside the application, the move has been prompted by “changing market demands from prospective house purchasers”.
Campus accommodation
NHS Highland has lodged plans to house up to 100 hospital workers and students at Inverness Campus.
The health board wants to build a number of “micro apartments” on land close to the new National Treatment Centre.
The site is also close to accommodation blocks for UHI students.
NHS Highland is proposing building the accommodation across three phases.
The first would deliver 38 studios and two accessible studios, as well as amenities for ground-floor residents.
Accommodation proposal for staff at city hotel withdrawn
As we documented earlier this week, fresh plans to build staff accommodation for an Inverness hotel have been ditched.
Mars Projects was hoping to build an annexe at 20-22 Kenneth Street, which it says it needed to allow the Strathness House Hotel in Ardross Terrace to function.
But it has now withdrawn its plans after some stinging criticism from Highland Council’s historic environment team.
A statement from the team said: “We have significant concerns regarding the over-development of this site with a poor-quality proposal, for ‘staff accommodation’ in three cramped units with no amenity space internally.
“The proposal is not even related directly to the host building – which is also for staff – but is for a hotel on Ardross Terrace.
“We accept that within this urban block there is already a high degree of infill/back-land development, but that does not justify more.”
Mars Projects did not respond to requests for comment.
The guest house is also the home of the popular Tiger On the Wall restaurant.
Both closed last September ahead of a major revamp at the site.
They are expected to reopen later this year.
Spotted any plans you think we should know about? Get in touch at north@ajl.co.uk
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