New housing a step closer
Highland Council has revealed its plans to build up to 250 houses on Blar Mhor as part of a development which includes a new Belford Hospital and a science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) centre.
The plans were made public this week as Highland Council began a pre-application consultation prior to the submission of a planning application later this year.
Phase one, which could see houses built on Blar Mhor by April next year, is likely to comprise 115 houses between the police station and Fort William Health Centre.
The houses, expected to be a mix of social, mid-market and shared equity rented properties, will be built by Highland Council, Lochaber Housing Association and Highland Housing Alliance.
Phase two, which is subject to NHS Highland’s specifications for a new hospital on the site, is expected to take the total number of houses to 250. The new hospital will maintain the status of a rural general hospital.
As well making provisions for a new hospital, the proposal of application notice also outlines plans to incorporate a STEM centre for West Highland College UHI on the site and a ‘community use’ area.
Councillors accepted the proposals at a planning committee meeting on Tuesday and expect them to form the basis of a planning application by the council in the next 12 weeks.
Council officials were joined by project architects to present the plans to residents.
At a consultation event in Kilmallie Community Centre in Corpach on Monday, Allan Maguire, head of development and regeneration at Highland Council, underlined the importance of this development. He said: ‘We have a housing crisis in Fort William and this housing meets the demand.’ Mr Maguire also stressed the plans are independent from any Liberty developments, although the economic impact of the factory expansion was taken into consideration.
Residents quizzed council officials on roads, transport and peat removal from the site. The concerns were noted by council officers who said they would be taken into consideration before the planning application is submitted.
One of the main issues raised was whether schools and roads in the area could cope with the numbers projected in phase one of the development.
Mr Maguire confirmed there is sufficient capacity in Lochaber schools to cope.
Highland Council bought the land at Blar Mhor from Tesco for £2 million in October 2015 after the supermarket giant abandoned plans to build a store.
The Highland Council was contacted by the NHS and UHI to consider buying the site as part a community planning partnership which the Scottish Government supported.