Moves being made for new Culloden sports hub
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PLANS are in the pipeline for an all-weather sports pitch in Culloden – and Highland Council is being tapped to foot the bill.
Smithton and Culloden Community Council is shopping around for a fully-enclosed playing surface which could be built at the top end of Keppoch Road’s Culloden Pitches.
And there are longer-term plans for an adjoining open-air multi-gym area with exercise bikes, benches and other equipment.
Community council chairman David McGrath said his group had saved £15,000 to put towards the all-weather sports pitch, which is expected to cost around £80,000.
Mr McGrath said: "We want to put those pitches in for the kids and we think it’s very do-able because Highland Council has £98,000 in planning gain money in their coffers and it’s for projects like this – it technically belongs to this community so it should be spent here."
The local authority has confirmed it holds nearly £98,000 in developers contributions for building work approved in the Culloden area.
It was underlined that this fund "related to upgrading of the Culloden Academy pitches".
However, a spokesman said a funding request from the community council would be considered.
There are currently three football pitches on the Culloden Pitches site.
Two are cordoned-off as part of the work on a flood alleviation scheme. The other will remain open throughout the works.
The cordoned off pitches will come back into public use when the works are finished.
The council said it would give the community access to pitches with better drainage. Mr McGrath said the new all-weather multi-sports pitch was a crucial addition.
He is currently sifting through sales brochures and gathering quotes for the new pitch.
One design grabbing his attention is a 120ft x 60ft artificial grass pitch with football goals and markings for games of basketball, netball, tennis and hockey.
It would be surrounded by a 9ft mesh fence.
Mr McGrath said his group was determined to get the project started within six months.
"This is going to be a two-pronged attack. We will ask the council first for our money. If they won’t help then we will already be in the process of becoming a charitable trust that can apply for funding grants from a big range of other bodies."
Mr McGrath said plans for an adjoining multi-gym area would be tackled later.
"We will work one stage at a time."
The council said it was working hard to ensure that there was "appropriate provision across this part of Inverness" and would direct its resources, and those collected through developer contributions, to that end.
