'Battlefield homes will sell super-fast'
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DEVELOPERS have won approval for the design and layout of 16 houses close to Culloden Battlefield – and say the properties will sell like hot cakes.
The drawings opposed by a campaign set up to protect the battlefield boundary from development were backed by 12 votes to eight at a meeting of the council’s environment, development and infrastructure committee on Thursday.
Kirkwood Homes’ land director Allan Rae was "delighted" with the decision.
Mr Rae said: "We have had a lot of demand and a lot of expressions of interest."
Asked if he had sold the entire scheme he said: "Not technically – but almost."
The project at Viewhill won planning permission on appeal in 2014 but councillors wanted the final say on house designs.
And they were approved after a voting mix-up in March when some councillors voted in favour by mistake, which meant the scheme was approved when it should have been turned down.
And a re-vote yesterday changed the ball game by coming down in the developer’s favour.
Councillor Andrew Jarvie for Inverness South, who led the vote against the house designs saying Kirkwood had not gone far enough to enhance the scheme, said: "This is really quite gutting. I am really disappointed that a mistake led to this being referred today.
"This should have been refused in March decisively instead of being narrowly passed today."
George Kempick from the Group to Stop Development at Culloden said he and others would "break the law" and be carried off the site in upcoming demonstrations.
Mr Rae said Kirkwood paid no heed to the threat. He said: "It’s not even on our radar. We will deal with that if it arises."
