It’s time for Planning Ahead – a round-up of the latest proposals lodged across Inverness.
The first letters of objection and support have trickled in for a plan to bring a community sauna to an Inverness park.
The Premier Inn has addressed concerns that a major expansion of its hotel west of the River Ness will cause parking problems.
And a proposal for Home Bargains to replace Wickes is moving forward with pace after the latest planning hurdle was cleared.
But first, let’s take a look at what’s happening on Ardross Terrace.
Shop and holiday let plan after nightclub bid fails
Plans for a new riverside nightclub in Inverness look to be completely sunk after a new application for the site was put forward.
Mars Projects announced its plans for a new nightclub at 7 Ardross Terrace last summer but withdrew the proposal last month.
A new planning application to change the use of the site to class 1A – professional services – has now been lodged.
Class 1A covers shops or businesses that don’t sell hot food.
Another application to change 6 Ardross Terrace from offices to short-term holiday lets has also been lodged by Mars Projects.
The company has featured heavily in our recent planning updates.
It is behind the popular Tiger On The Wall restaurant and Strathness House Hotel, which are both currently closed and undergoing a major renovation.
The company recently applied to build an annexe on Kenneth Street to house staff working at Strathness House Hotel.
But the application was withdrawn after stinging criticism from Highland Council’s conservation team.
Premier Inn responds to parking concerns
The Premier Inn has responded to concerns that a proposed expansion of one of its Inverness hotels would cause parking issues.
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.
The plans were queried by Highland Council’s housing development team in September, who asked why the number of parking spaces was being reduced from 188 to 171 when 40 new rooms are being added.
Transport and infrastructure consultants RGP, on behalf of Premier Inn Hotels, have now carried out a survey of parking at the site.
Across a seven-day period they found the peak demand was on a Tuesday night when 110 vehicles were in the car park.
There were 127 rooms booked at the time, equating to 0.87 parked vehicles per occupied hotel room.
That calculation also included restaurant customers – some of whom were potentially not also hotel guests.
A statement from RGP said: “This exercise, highly robust in light of the fact that the
restaurant would be removed, therefore also captures the non-guest vehicles from survey and in the uplift.
“It is therefore considered that the proposed provisions for car parking are sufficient to
accommodate the additional bedrooms.”
The council has also raised questions about the Premier Inn potentially extending over an area it is entitled to.
It appears that issue still has to be addressed.
The application was lodged last July and had an initial determination deadline of October 6, 2024.
Will community sauna be ‘game changer’ or ‘disaster waiting to happen’?
A community sauna experience could be coming to Inverness for the first time.
As The Press and Journal recently reported, a company called Community Sauna Highland have submitted new proposals to Highland Council.
The sauna would be based in the city’s Bellfield Park.
Plans show the sauna could fit up to 26 people inside for people seeking “relaxation and rejuvenation”.
The sauna would be heated by an electric sauna stove, with an option for ladling water to create the signature steamy experience.
Community Sauna Highland’s Pippa Hembry said sauna bathing has been a “game changer” for her health and wants other in Inverness to experience it.
So far, one letter of support and one of objection have been raised.
Samuel McGinn said: “I believe [this] proposal will immensely benefit the immediate and wider Highland community, with a focus on health and all around wellness.”
But Bellfield Park resident Sarah Henderson countered: “We are not against the idea of a community sauna but do not think Bellfield Park is the appropriate place for its location.
“To have people in the park dressed only in swim wear within metres of gym equipment/tennis courts and a children’s playpark seems to be a potential disaster waiting to happen.”
What else is happening?
TJ Morris’s plan for Home Bargains to replace Wickes on Henderson Road can continue at pace after the firm’s latest application was approved.
It applied to install a new shop front and make changes to doors and the outdoor garden centre.
In Ardersier, the Kylerona Farm Partnership has applied to create a dog exercise area.
A statement from the partnership said: “The proposal represents a farm diversification project.
“There is an increasing demand for dog exercise facilities and this site is within easy distance of the main conurbations of Nairn and Inverness.”
A little further west along the Moray Firth shoreline, an extension of Castle Stuart’s clubhouse has been approved.
The proposal was a reduction in scale of a previously approved one.
In our last update, we revealed the council’s expansion plans for Kilvean Cemetery on the outskirts of Inverness.
Sepa, Transport Scotland and Highland Council’s environmental health teams have all so far said they do not wish to raise any objection.
Spotted any plans you think we should know about? Get in touch at north@ajl.co.uk
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