Council approve new Fort student flats plan
COUNCILLORS have given the green light to the construction of a three-storey, 40-bed student accommodation building in the centre of Fort William.
At a meeting of the Highland Council’s south planning application committee, councillors approved Cityheart Ltd’s application to build the new residential block within the grounds of the former St Mary’s RC Primary School.
The property development company presented a fresh planning application to the Highland Council last month after being forced to go back to the drawing board when their original plans were rejected by councillors who said it would have a ‘detrimental impact’ on surrounding properties.
However, Highland councillors were impressed by Cityheart’s new application and welcomed the revised plans, with one councillor saying that the new design was ‘immeasurably better’ than the previous one.
The new designs, which were presented to the council on Tuesday, show the building situated to the far end of the site, next to the Belford Hospital, rather than next to the neighbouring residential cottages which the previous plans had set out.
The plans for the building itself have also been drastically changed, with the new blocks designed with lower pitched roofs and a ‘more varied’ front.
The Chester-based property developer, which has already built flats in An Aird for students in Fort William, said it took on board the councillors’ previous concerns and submitted a ‘substantially changed’ design which aims to alleviate any issues of being overbearing to neighbouring properties and to make the building appear ‘less monolithic’.
Lochaber councillor Blair Allan said: ‘I think the need for student accommodation in Fort William with the growth of West Highland College is self-evident, accepted and welcome. So I am content to support this application.’
The new residential block will aim to ease accommodation problems in the town after an increase in students number studying at the West Highland College UHI in recent years.
Caol and Mallaig councillor Ben Thompson also said that he was happy to support the new application as it was ‘far, far superior’ to the developer’s previous submissions.