Yesterday teatime I received a call from the P and J asking for a comment on the news they gave me; news that development was at last going to start on farmland set aside for the proposed Inverness Airport Business Park.
As is always the case APTSec was unable to provide the reporter with a 'soundbite' response, given; the complexities of the planning process, my lack of precise recollection of the exact wording of the particulars of our response to the Airport Business Park Planning Application (as I stood in my kitchen at teatime), the fact that I knew little of the particulars of this 'new deal' and it was clear that a very quick (and potentially short) response was going to be needed by the paper.
Unfortunately I cannot access any details on the paper's web site (not being a subscriber) and have not as yet had an opportunity to purchase a copy of the paper so I cannot comment on any of the material in the P and J at this moment.
I have, however, been able to access an item in the Scotsman here
The Scotsman item states that:
AN INDUSTRIAL property firm has agreed to pour £30 million into developing more than 400,000sq ft of business space at Inverness Airport.
The Roxhill development will account for 30 acres of the 250 hectare Inverness Airport Business Park, which forms part of the A96 "growth corridor", linking Inverness and Nairn.
Going back to the Officer's Report to the Inverness Planning Committee (Jan 2010, at which OPP was granted), the report notes that the application was for the development of a business park within 200ha of land west and south of Inverness Airport with development expected to extend over a 50 year period in four distinct phases to 2011, 2021, 2041 and 2061.
The granting of planning permission in principle for a business park upon 200ha of land was dependent upon a number of conditions including that, ."...a 'masterplan' for the whole site shall be submitted, for the prior approval of the planning authority in advance of any subsequent matters specified by condition, which include..." etc
On further reading of the 2010 committee report it is worth noting that the transport assessment submitted by the applicant at that time could not rigorously support development proposals beyond 2021 and only 71,344 sqm of development can come forward in phase 1 (doing a quick on-line calculation to convert the 400,000sq ft gives approx 37,000 sqm for the 'new deal'). Within phase 1, after the occupation of 36,044 sqm gross floor space, improvement of the Mid Coul Roundabout, improvement of 3 short sections of the B9039 (to be examined) and funding (yet to be agreed) for enhancement of pubic transport services are all required. With regard to the further 3 phases, a commitment in principle to the A96 funding protocol was also required.
So as far as the planning process is concerned, there is still a way to go. It is also worth noting that the adopted Inverness Local Plan sets aside less than 80ha for a fully masterplanned economic initiative at the airport and the new Highland-wide Local Development Plan, Proposed Plan (20 year timescale) makes little reference at all to the plans for a business park - please see comments summarised under Issue 9 which will be considered by the Reporter.
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