Inverness Caley Thistle call on fans to write to councillors ahead of crunch vote
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The war of words over Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s battery storage project has continued unabated. The club is now calling on fans to write to councillors ahead of crunch vote explaining why it “can and should be approved.”
In what is fast turning into a saga, the club planned to get planning permission for a battery farm behind Fairways Business Park, package and sell it on for a sum now known to be £3.4 million.
Highland Council planners objected but some councillors were keen so at a meeting last November it was deferred for a site visit. It came back to council last month and was granted planning permission.
But the 3-2 vote was considered "not a good look" by the two councillors who lost and who then called it back for a review at full council, which is on Thursday.
Then yesterday four community councils issued their own opposition to the plans, including Slackbuie Community Council who did not object during the planning process – Highland Council confirmed they were contacted.
Their opposition stems from the loss of green space and that such facilities are potentially dangerous and therefore inappropriate to locate near “housing, schools, offices and retail” – claims strongly challenged by the club.
'Only two per cent of the former golf course'
Caley Thistle chairman Ross Morrison said: “The proposed Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC Battery Farm development occupies only 2 per cent of the former golf course at Fairways and its surrounding area and is distinct from the wider area because it is set behind commercial buildings and is screened by woodland.
“It has always been regarded as scrubland, even when the full golf course was in existence. The nearest house is more than 196 metres from the nearest planned battery unit.
“The only reason for refusal is based on the loss of open space which, it must be noted, is a privately owned golf course. The amount of area the batteries will use is only 2 per cent of the total area and 98 per cent remains untouched, leaving over 196 acres available for dog walkers and other users. The football club community trust is reinstating 10 acres of new pitches and open green space for the entire community just a few hundred yards away at the Inverness Royal Academy.”
'No issues' with fire risk
Regarding the risk of fire, Mr Morrison said: “The Head of Protection and Preparedness for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed they had no issues with this application.”
He also challenged the assumptions made by the community councils about National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) which he said “provides the up-to-date policy guidance for all development proposals.”
He said: “Policy 11 – Energy – states that: ‘Development proposals for all forms of renewable, low carbon and zero emissions technologies will be supported’. Battery storage technology is specifically mentioned.”
Concluding his response, Mr Morrision said: “South Planning Applications Committee, by a legal majority, identified that while it was acknowledged that the development would result in a tiny loss of open space, the development would encourage, promote, and facilitate renewable energy storage and so would comply with policy 11 of NPF4.
“It was considered that the benefits gained under policy 11 of NPF4 outweighed the tiny loss of open space and therefore the application should be granted and see over 80 local jobs saved as a result and £125,000 in rates paid per annum to Highland Council.
“This justification stands and remains a valid reason for the grant of planning permission and a lawful democratic vote should not be overturned because people didn’t like the result of the vote. It is the antithesis of a democratic decision.”
