Hopes £30m hotel on the site of the Ironworks in Inverness will be given go-ahead – Bricks Capital has submitted plans to Highland Council for the proposed multi-storey 155-bedroom structure
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Developers are “optimistic” their long-running efforts to win permission for a new hotel on a key city centre site will finally be realised this week.
Bricks Capital wants to build a £30 million hotel on the site of the Ironworks in Academy Street.
But in June, despite redrawing plans to meet previously raised concerns about the design of the proposed multi-storey, 155-bedroom structure, Highland Council’s south planning applications committee opted to defer ruling on the plans.
This was after Inverness Central councillor Michael Cameron tabled an amendment to that effect, saying he felt he needed more clarification.
With the matter due to come before councillors again on Thursday, Bricks believes it has been able to meet that demand.
A spokesman said: “Following the previous meeting, we have addressed every query raised, as a result of which a fact sheet has been submitted to committee members, which we think will be helpful.
“A YouTube link, showing the design, has also been forwarded to the council.
“We’re going into the meeting with a positive recommendation from the council’s own planning officials and its expert design review panel.
“We have clarified everything asked of us, so we remain optimistic.
“This £30 million project is the biggest private sector inward investment in the city, which the planning committee will face in the next year, and can be of significant benefit to reinvigorating the city centre.”
Cllr Cameron said he believed “discrepancies” in information last time round had since been sorted out and that the detail now available to councillors was “consistent”.
He said he still had to go through more than 300 pages of supporting information, as well as 113 other associated documents and sought to further explain the position he had taken at the previous meeting.
“At the last planning meeting I was keen to emphasise that decisions have to be made that not only satisfy the planning committee but also stand up to scrutiny and minimise the risk of being reversed on appeal, which could potentially be a costly business for the council,” he said.
As previously, council planning officers are recommending the committee approves the application, which was first lodged in 2019.
If it does get the go-ahead the Ironworks would be demolished to make way for the new hotel which would include a café/bar, restaurant and two gyms – one on the first floor for use by hotel guests and another at ground level for the general public.
The matter still hangs in the balance however.
At the last meeting councillors were apparently lining up to criticise the proposals again.
Cllr Laurie Fraser described the planned hotel as “monolithic” and called for the application to be thrown out before members agreed to the deferral.
Cllr Isabelle Mackenzie also said she was concerned with developments such as the hotel which she felt detracted from the city centre.
And Cllr Bill Lobban said: “I’m sorry, this is not a pretty building and I think ‘is this the appropriate building for the middle of a historic town?’ I remain to be convinced.”
