Plans for a new Lidl supermarket and a development with 38 houses in Inverness have been shelved.
The retail giant was hoping to build a new store with a 109-space car park in the Drakies area of the city.
But the application has now been withdrawn.
The site earmarked for the development was recently denoted as space for 80 houses in Highland Council’s local development plan.
That meant the supermarket chain would have struggled to win the approval of the council’s planners.
And it now appears they have decided to cut their losses.
Capacity issues in south Inverness
The plot of land in question is at the back of the Highlands and Islands police division headquarters.
Although Lidl’s plans have been withdrawn for now, development on the site at some point is still likely.
Lidl initially applied to the council for planning permission in principle in December 2021.
Culcabock and Drakies Community Council member Iain Stewart objected to the supermarket’s plans.
He said: “The view held by many local residents was that this was an inappropriate form of development for that site.
“I’ve nothing against Lidl. But in that area there is already enough retail like that.
“We will see what happens with a possible housing development. But Drakies Park should remain a public open space, it’s an important amenity area.”
There are already two supermarkets, a Tesco superstore and an Aldi, a stone’s throw from the proposed location at Inshes Retail Park.
And within a two mile radius, there are another two Tesco supermarkets, an Asda and a Morrisons.
Could Lidl return with a new application?
Inverness councillor Ian Brown, who lives in the Drakies estate, said the news would be a relief to many locally.
He said: “Most of the people who spoke to me about it were against it. There were major access problems and we can’t say we’re struggling for supermarkets around there.
“It’s a bit of relief but let’s wait and see. The land has been empty for a long time and somebody may come back with something, it might even be Lidl again.
“But whatever goes there, access will be a big issue.”
This part of the Highland capital has been suffering with capacity issues for some time.
The much maligned Inshes roundabout has been struggling for years with no solution in sight.
And the volume of traffic on Sir Walter Scott Drive, known locally as the southern distributor road, has also been growing steadily as more and more houses pop up in the south of the city.
Green space and housing will be recurring themes
The potential loss of Drakies Park was a major concern of residents when this application was first floated.
The news that it won’t go forward will be welcomed.
But it’s bound to crop up again in the future as the city balances the need for more houses with trying to preserve green space.
Last year, Drakies resident Karyne Walker told the Press and Journal why she wanted to stop development at the site.
She said: “The park is so widely used and not just by people in Drakies. There are a lot of people that come there to walk their dogs since it’s such a big space.
“In my opinion, I don’t think we need any more houses in Inverness because they are putting so many up in other areas.
“It would be a waste of a really good space that we need.”
Lidl did not respond to requests for comment on its application.
