Former British Legion Club in Highlands set to be transformed into boutique hotel as visitor accommodation boom continues
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A former club for ex-service personnel in a prime Highland capital location is the latest site set to be transformed into a boutique hotel – amid an ongoing boom for new visitor accommodation in the city.
Planning officers have approved the conversion of the former British Legion Club in Huntly Street in Inverness into an 18-bedroom hotel.
The project’s green light, means that more than 500 new hotel bedrooms are now currently in the pipeline at sites across the city.
These include a 175-bedroom Marriott hotel in Glebe Street on the opposite side of the River Ness, a 210-bedroom Hampton by Hilton hotel next to Farraline Park bus station and the conversion of a former office block in Church Street into a 76-bedroom hotel. The River Ness Hotel opened there last week.
New designs for a 162-room Courtyard by Marriott Hotel on the site of the Ironworks in Academy Street have also been submitted after previous proposals were rejected by Highland Council. And plans have also been resubmitted to add 43 new bedrooms at the Waterside Hotel in Ness Bank.
The new development in Huntly Street is being carried out by UK Hospitality Holdings in London.
Since the front section of the riverside building was sold off five years ago – with the club continuing its activities at the back of the building – it has remained empty.
It involves creating a landscaped courtyard area on the flat roof of an existing single-storey extension at the back of the building which will be overlooked by some bedrooms.
The layout of the extension will also be altered to form a guest breakfast area.
Three letters of objection were received raising issues such as additional traffic in Huntly Street and King Street plus the impact on local guest houses.
In approving the application, planning officers appreciated there could be an impact on other guest houses in terms of competition but said this is not a material planning consideration.
Their report stated: "This is a city centre building and the proposed use is compatible with the location and involves bringing a disused building in the conservation area back into use.
"Bringing people into the city centre, particularly in post-Covid times will support many other businesses and should be encouraged."
Conditions attached to planning permission include the production of a travel plan including information on how guests will be advised of car parking arrangements in the city.
Planning officers also noted Huntly Street and King Street had restrictions in place for deterring unwanted parking and loading/unloading outside of designated bays along the road.
Their report states: "It is, therefore, considered that there are sufficient measures in place to address concerns over any perceived increase in parking issues.
"It is recognised that the previous use of the building as a pub and function room would have had similar implications for vehicle movements in the area.
"The current proposal is for a hotel, but with no bar or restaurant facility. Guests will be served breakfast in a breakfast room, but there will be no facility for other meals to be served.
"It is therefore not considered that the proposed use will make a significant change to traffic movements."
Emmanuel Moine, the manager of Glen Mhor Hotels in Inverness and chairman of the Inverness Hotel Association, believes the Highland capital’s tourism industry is set to bounce back post-pandemic.
"My personal feeling is that Inverness is going to become a tourism hub in the UK," he said.
"We can see a lot of development in the city centre.
"I think the situation in Inverness is looking very promising."
