Conon Bridge fish farm 'blight' site set for multimillion-pound housing and retail development
APPROVAL for a multimillion-pound housing development on an eyesore site at the heart of a growing Ross-shire village could be the catalyst to breathe fresh life into the area.
That was the view of Conon Bridge councillor Alister Mackinnon after Highland Council's north planning applications committee approved 72 residential units at the former Pescanova fish factory site which has lain unoccupied or more than 20 years.
Developers HLH Inverness Ltd plan to build 72 residential units comprising flats, terraced, semi-detached and detached homes on the brownfield site.
Three retail units and a hot food takeaway are included and the scale of the project will trigger around £328,000 in developer contributions, part going to increase capacity at nearby Ben Wyvis Primary.
Cllr Mackinnon, who does not sit on the committee, said he believed it could breathe new life into the area and would, alongside another approved flats development at the site of the Drouthy Duck bar, boost the village. He said: "This site has been a blight on entering the village of Conon Bridge for the last 22 years. Hopefully in the not too distant future a purchaser will come forward for the Conon Hotel which is listed and a very important building in the area."
Area planning manager Dafydd Jones noted the project is not without question marks but indicated the village stands to benefit. He said the bid on a "challenging site" has been a long time coming but that environmental gains it offers "are significant".
Local councillor Angela Maclean, who voted for it, said: “This application has been on the go now for five years but the Pescanova site has been closed for more than 22 years and has been an eyesore for the village.
“There has been difficulty with the site, we still don’t know what the finished ground levels will be, we still don’t know what the forestry landscaping plan will be, there are a lot of unanswered questions that planners will have to deal with.
“But at the end of the day we all want to see this application move forward. There was talk of the Conon Bridge Hotel and village locals and people from further afield used to spend a lot of time in both those places but sadly both are closed now.
“The Conon Bridge Hotel is up for sale so we do need further developments in the community. I still have concerns about the outstanding information but I am confident they will be dealt with.”