Half a billion pounds of investment in infrastructure needed to match proposed development in Ross-shire and wider Highlands
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A MASTER PLAN for thousands of new homes across Ross-shire and the multimillion-pound investment that will be needed in schools, transport and leisure infrastructure to match it has been revealed.
More than half a billion pounds needs to be invested in infrastructure to keep pace with the breakneck speed of development in and around the wider Moray Firth according to Highland Council's updated delivery programme, which sets out where cash must be spent so there are adequate facilities for the local population.
That goes hand in hand with the zoning masterplan dubbed – the Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan (IMFLDP).
The current IMFLDP allocates sites for almost 27,000 homes in the inner Moray Firth – from Tain through to Dingwall, the Black Isle, Inverness and Nairn.
That level of home building poses serious challenges to providing sufficient classroom space, leisure facilities and adequate road provision.
It illustrates the scale of the challenge faced by the council, the Scottish Government, High Life Highland and Network Rail and Transport Scotland amongst others.
And with the IMFLDP2 set to be released this month – containing new plots and developments for thousands of more homes – required investment is likely to rise.
The programme is also perhaps the best overview of what the public should expect to see delivered in their local area over the next decade.
The plans can be split into three main areas – Easter Ross, the Dingwall area and the Black Isle. Some housebuilding included has already been completed or is under way.
Easter Ross has been earmarked for 3181 new households. Alness has been zoned for 1210 new homes, Invergordon for 915, Tain 550, Evanton 330 and the seaboard villages 175.
The Dingwall area is expecting 1667 new homes in Maryburgh (210), Conon Bridge (440), Contin (80), Strathpeffer (67) and Muir of Ord (340). Ross-shire’s county town is itself earmarked for 525 homes.
The Black Isle is likely to see new developments in Avoch (90), Cromarty (33), Culbokie (130), Fortrose and Rosemarkie (130), Munlochy (90), Tore (460), and North Kessock (90).
Some of the leisure facilities that will get expanded as a result include:
- Dingwall Leisure Centre – major expansion and refurbishment with an estimated cost £3 million that could be delivered as early as next year
- Invergordon Leisure Centre – swimming pool upgrade, synthetic pitch expand changing room capacity and parking, costing of £1.8 million
- Maryburgh Amenities Centre Redevelopment – enhance current community facilities including reuse of former school site at a cost of £762,000
- Averon Leisure Centre – expand and upgrade fitness suite and provision of dance studio by 2028 at a cost of £700,000.
- Leisure and amenity hub in Muir of Ord – 4G sports pitch, changing facilities with an estimated cost more than £1 million
- Black Isle Leisure Centre – expansion to include a dance studio and extended gym costing £600,000
School roll and infrastructure headaches could be eased by the following projects:
- A new Tain 3-18 campus due to be finished by 2026 at a cost £43.7 million
- Invergordon Academy – refurbishment and possible 3-18 campus with new combined primary school adjacent to existing academy
- Tarradale, Ben Wyvis, Tore and Avoch Primaries will all get either major extensions or, in some cases, a new school
- Dingwall Academy and Primary will each need a two-classroom extension
Transport issues will include consideration of the following:
- Reopening of Evanton railway station
- Footbridge over the A9 to serve new development sites
- Tomich Junction upgrade with A9 Trunk Road and upgrades to internal road network taken forward by the council, developers, and Transport Scotland
- Complete active travel connection between Beauly and Muir of Ord on west side of Great North Road
To find out more, see www.highland.gov.uk/deliveryprogrammes
