Work is finally under way on a £10million retail park in Fort William, paving the way for a new supermarket and a Marks and Spencer food store to be open by next summer.
Contractors have started clearing the site at North Road in the Lochaber town.
A new Aldi supermarket will move onto the site, alongside the M&S and a Home Bargains discount store.
The site, which sits just off the A82 Fort William to Inverness road, has had a long and tortuous planning history before finally being granted planning permission.
Now Cheshire-based developer Morbaine say all the paperwork is finally in place, barring some final documents needed to start building a roads access to the site.
He said the buildings should start to appear early next year – with the project on track to open in the summer of 2017.
Director, Alex Brodie, said: “We are delighted our contractors have finally been able to start work on the site of what will become the North Road Retail Park just outside Fort William.
“The preparatory works going on just now will clear away debris and level the site in preparation for the buildings being constructed at the beginning of 2017.
“The programme of work underway now will also include the roads which will provide access to the retail park and that will begin once the final approval documentation has arrived from Transport Scotland which we expect imminently.
“Yet again I would like to thank local people, councillors and others for their steadfast support and we look forwarding to welcoming them to their new retail park in the summer of 2017.”
The development is expected to support around 180 jobs during the construction process and create 150 long-term retail posts.
The site finally won planning permission for the new food stores late in 2014 after concerns had been raised about the impact the out of town development could have on Fort William town centre.
Morbaine had to go back to the council with a new planning application after previously undiscovered underground cables were found beneath the planned roundabout access.
