Highland Council Gives Approval For ASDA At Slackbuie, Inverness

15th January 2008

Members of The Highland Council's Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey Planning Applications and Review Committee today (15th January 2008) were minded to grant outline planning application by Elphinstone Land Ltd / ASDA Stores for the development of a superstore, petrol filling station, 5 small retail units and associated works on land at Slackbuie Farm, Inverness.

The Area Planning & Building Standards Manager, David Polson, is to report back to the next meeting of the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey Planning Applications and Review Committee with a package of conditions and the terms of developer contributions by legal agreement.

Members voted 15 to 2 in favour of the development in accordance with a motion proposed by Councillor John Holden which was seconded by Councillor John Finnie.

As the decision is contrary to Council's development plan policies, it will require to be notified to Scottish Ministers.

At the meeting held in the Council's Headquarters in Inverness, planning officials recommended that the application should be refused planning permission on the grounds of planning policy, the proposed scale of the store and road congestions reasons.

A report to the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey Planning Applications and Review Committee stated that the proposed scale of the store at Slackbuie was ~not seen as commensurate with local needs and could diminish the prospect of district scale retailing in other district centres identified in the Council's development plan~.

The report also highlighted that the proposed superstore would generate significant levels of new car journeys including a high proportion from outside the immediate area and that the impact of this traffic would lead to unacceptable congestion particularly at Inshes roundabout and links with the A9.