Highland Council officer objections withdrawn to A9 EV charge hub, shop and restaurant plan at North Kessock on the Black Isle
Controversial plans for an EV charge hub, shop and restaurant on the Black Isle have fewer obstacles in their way after some of the objections were dropped.
West Coast Estates is seeking to build the EV hub, shop, restaurant and dozens of car parking spaces on land sandwiched between North Kessock and the A9.
If approved, West Coast Estates claims the new development will create up to 100 jobs.
But worried residents have objected to the proposal, which would be located on open land next to the roundabout that motorists encounter after exiting the northbound A9 carriageway. They have cited a loss of green space, competition with shops in the heart of the village, increased volumes of traffic, and litter - among others.
The developer later revised elements of the proposal in response to some of the criticisms raised, including changes to the restaurant - which was originally intended as a drive-thru, but is now planned solely as a sit-in eatery.
They also relocated the shop building to the south of the site in response to objections by SGN - which maintains the region’s gas network - over the proximity of its original footprint to a major underground gas pipeline. That objection was later withdrawn in response to the changes.
And further objections - this time from two Highland Council teams - have also now been withdrawn following further modifications. Members of the council’s forestry and flood risk management teams have both dropped their original objections, subject to conditions being attached.
Forestry officers had originally lodged a ‘holding objection’ to the plans as originally set out, as the first location proposed for the shop building would have placed it closer to a number of protected oak trees, and within their designated ‘root protection areas’.
However, following discussions with the developer, and the change of location for the building, that objection has now been dropped, as the trees are further away from the new builds.
Confirming the withdrawal of the objection, subject to conditions, Nick Richards, a forestry officer for the north Highland area, said: “Further to discussions with the [arboricultural] consultant (Treetek) regarding the amended impact assessment and tree protection plan, I accept the proposed changes without the requirement for any test pits.
“I therefore withdraw my holding objection subject to the following condition: A suitably qualified arboricultural consultant must be employed at the developer’s expense to ensure that the approved Tree Protection Plan, Arboricultural Method Statement and Landscape Plan are implemented to the agreed standard.”
The withdrawal follows the roll back of concerns by the council’s flood risk management team after the developer addressed issues they had raised.
The team had objected over the original surface water drainage measures but has dropped it after these were improved
Confirming their change of heart, the flood risk team said: "It is proposed that surface water from the site will be collected, attenuated and treated prior [to] discharge into the nearby Charleston Burn".
"The post-development discharge rates have been revised to ensure that the discharge to the watercourse does not exceed the pre-development rates for a range of storm events up to and including a 200-year plus climate change event.
"We are content with the drainage strategy and withdraw our objection".
But they requested that a condition be attached that the final surface water drainage system by submitted for review should the development be granted.
They also said they were "content" with revisions to the plans which relocated the original surface water outfall to a new location downstream of the culvert under Millbank.
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