Expansion plans for a £30million golf resort at Castle Stuart took a step forward yesterday as talks got under way with several potential new investors to build a Par three course and hundreds of rooms.
Partners at the venue, just east of Inverness, want to drive on with their planning-approved masterplan at a time when the city is set to benefit from a raft of infrastructure improvements through the £315million City Deal.
Arnold Palmer Group has already invested in a project to develop a second championship course at the Scottish Open venue – the golfing legend’s first in Scotland.
In tandem with this, building will start on a 60-bedroom hotel and refurbishment of the 17th-century castle – which gives the site its name – into a luxury eight-bedroom hotel with a super-suite occupying the top floor.
Longer-term proposals enjoying planning consent include an even larger hotel of up to 120 rooms, 148 lodges or appartments, a nine hole par 3 course, and, prospectively, two separate steading developments.
This week a team from property consultants Christie & Co, led by global managing director Chris Day, will begin investigating other possible investors worldwide.
Grant Sword, a Castle Stuart managing partner, said: “For some time we have been on the lookout for other investment to allow us to move to the next stage and fulfil our vision.
“This has led to us speaking with a number of potential new partners recently. Due to this level of interest, we have asked Christie & Co to examine the demand and also cast the net further to make sure we find the right fit for us; a major new partner who would enjoy the development opportunity, share our vision and help us finish what we’ve started here.
“Our motivation is to move this development forward and eventually complete the vision. With all the other developments happening in this area now, we believe it’s the ideal time to take a major next step.
“There is a need for more quality accommodation in this area, with current occupancy rates in Inverness hotels among the highest in the UK. Creating a high-end development in keeping with our spectacular environment will help bring more visitors to this part of the world.”