The development would be located between Stratton Lodge and Stratton Farm and help kick start the £320 million Inverness Arc project, a massive residential, business and retail scheme first unveiled by Inverness Estates five years ago.

Sainsbury's declined to comment in detail but the firm's development surveyor for Scotland, Dougal Hartley, confirmed the company was aware of the site, as well as other potential locations.

"I know there has just been consent for another Tesco in the city, but that's not going to deter us from trying to satisfy the requirement we have had from Inverness for a number of years now," he said. "We are confident we will satisfy that requirement over the short to medium term."

The store would form an integral part of the Inverness Arc blueprint — which was revealed in June 2004 by the local consortium including Tulloch Homes — to develop a 580-acre site and attracting £320 million in investment and more than 3000 new jobs.

The vision for the eastern outskirts of the city has been bolstered by the Scottish Government's decision to fund the eastern link of the Inverness bypass, joining the A9 with the A96, which will help pave the way for the development.

It would be the first Sainsbury's store in the Highland Capital and would help the city shake its "Tesco town" image, which was reinforced last week with the granting of planning permission for a fourth Tesco store at Holm.

Sainsbury's was previously linked to the Baird Maltings site in the Longman Industrial Estate and has now taken full control of plans for a new store opposite Nairn's Balmakeith Industrial Estate after development partners Pettifer Estates collapsed into administration just before Christmas. A public local inquiry is scheduled to begin on 17th March.

"We are seeking further representation in the Highlands and Inverness is definitely included in that," Mr Hartley added. "We are under-represented in Scotland as a whole and naturally there are areas we want to be in."

The proposals have been welcomed by politicians who insist a new supermarket is needed to provide more competition and jobs locally.

Former Inverness provost Bob Wynd believed the eastern section of the Inverness bypass was pivotal to development on the A96 corridor.

"It would create jobs in construction at the start and then full-time jobs in retail which has to be welcomed in the present climate," said the Culloden and Ardersier member.

Danny Alexander, MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, shared concerns voiced previously that development on the outskirts of the city could take shoppers away from the city centre, but thought the plans would be welcomed.

"For too long there has been a gross lack of competition within the retail market in Inverness and this could help remedy that problem," he said.

Last year Inverness Estates unveiled its proposals for a new L-shaped retail park development on land next to Inverness Business and Retail Park — a separate part of the Inverness Arc vision. The proposals consist of plans for 14 large shops and a fast-food restaurant.

andrew.dixon@inverness-courier.co.uk

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