An Inverness city centre hostel has been given permission to provide homeless accommodation following an appeal.
A Scottish Government reporter overturned Highland Council’s refusal of the plans for the Highlander Hostel building at 23 High Street.
Councillors had previously voted against allowing the seasonal permission because of fears about noise disturbance.
City centre leaders yesterday said they were “disappointed” and “astonished” with reporter John Martin’s decision.
In a report published yesterday, the official said that a site visit had led him to conclude that alterations to the property would alleviate problems.
The buildings owners GSA Property and Business Holdings plan to operate the building as a hostel during the summer and a “home of multiple occupation” during the autumn and winter.
Councillor Richard Laird led calls for the HMO to be turned down when it came to committee in December.
He said: “It’s disappointing news.
“The city centre community made it clear they did not want this HMO and to see the decision overturned by a reporter and is very disappointing.”
He said he had previously written to the council expressing concern about HMO licences and how many are allowed in a certain area.
He added: “Id be looking for stricter enforcement sooner rather than later.”
Fellow Inverness Central member Councillor Donnie Kerr added: “It’s disappointing that the reporter didn’t agree with our position but Mr Mohamed seems to have been trying to address some of the concerns.
“All we can do really now is keep a close eye on what is happening that it is running as it should.
“It is disappointing but that’s all we can do.”
Mike Smith, manager of Inverness Bid, said he was “astonished” by the decision and said it appeared to have been reached by a “misapprehension” by the reporter.
In his reporter, Mr Martin acknowledged that there “has been trouble in the past with “noise and disturbance and inadequate refuse storage”
He added that tenants had previously had a “casual attitude” towards neighbours.
However, he found that the owners have been carrying out works to restore the hostel to “attract a better class of tenant”.
He added: “My overall conclusion is that, in the light of the history of use of the property as a HMO, the alterations being carried out to the premises and the reduction in the number of residents would result in a major improvement in nearby residential and business amenity and thereby to the image of Inverness city as a whole.”