A 48-lodge tourism and commercial centre proposed for the south side of Inverness has been recommended for approval at a council meeting next week.
The area’s planning committee will consider the plans on Tuesday (APR 12) for grazing land south of the Drumossie Hotel on the edge of the city.
Developers 3A Partnership Ltd want to build a tourism and leisure complex comprising 48 lodges and apartments along with buildings for commercial and leisure use, reception, marketing office and grounds maintenance accommodation.
Council officers have recommended that planning permission is granted.
An area to the west of the main development would be reserved for an amenity woodland area to provide parkland facilities to act as a “buffer” to the nearby A9.
The development would be built in phases starting with holiday lodges followed by commercial and leisure facilities and then further lodges and tourist facilities.
The company states in its application that 48 lodges “are required if the development is to be financially viable.”
Access to the 13-acre site is proposed as a new junction with the B9177 (Drumossie Brae) opposite an existing access that serves nearby homes.
The main part of the development would cover six acres.
Two local objectors have warned of a lack of safe access and absence of street lights and pavements being a potential danger to pedestrians along with “adverse impact on amenity and privacy of residents, adverse impact on wildlife and potential noise nuisance.”
Planning officials said access road arrangements had been revised but “concerns remain regarding the lack of detail and uncertainty of the internal road layout.”
Gary Johnston of GH Johnston Buildings Consultants, agents for the 3A Partnership, said: “What we’re planning is a high amenity holiday destination development and that a very large portion of the site is given over to landscaping and a gateway feature at the entrance to Inverness.
“We’ve spent a lot of time with engineers discussing the roads access and any safety issues, and these have all now been resolved to the satisfaction of Highland Council as the roads authority.”
