North Kessock food & drink hub and EV station’s approval by Highland Council sparks ‘bitter disappointment’ in Black Isle community
Unanimous approval for a controversial £6m EV hub, shop and restaurant in North Kessock has sparked delight for the developer but “bitter disappointment” for some in the community.
West Coast Estates this week won its long-running bid to press ahead with the development on land next to the A9’s northbound exit into North Kessock.
They said they are “confident” the development “will make a positive impact” on the local community.
But their claims of up to 100 new jobs and of close collaboration with the community have been disputed by a prominent community figure.
Knockbain Community Council members were among those who had strongly objected to the plans, with fears raised over the loss of green space, the competition the site will create with shops in the heart of the village, increased volumes of traffic, litter, and more.
And its chairman, John Stott, was not mincing words after the plans were passed on Wednesday - describing the decision as “a very sad day for North Kessock and an even sadder day for local democracy”.
He has slammed the decision to unanimously approve it in the face of widespread local opposition. As well the community council, local residents had also campaigned against it and several local politicians such as the Scottish Greens’ Anne Thomas - who lives in the village - and Ariane Burgess had also raised concerns.
Mr Stott said: "It's a very sad day for North Kessock and an even sadder day for local democracy, given the amount of objections that were received.
“The community council absolutely played this by the book, we consulted with the developer, who assured us they would keep us involved and informed every step of the way. We then had a public meeting which was very, very well attended and, almost without dissent, every person in that room objected to the development.
"The developer has never come back to us since that day, which speaks volumes about them to my mind, I'll say no more on that.
"And I'm generally very disappointed that the planning committee voted in favour of it. Obviously none of them live in Barclay Gardens [next to the planned hub] which is going to be the place that is most impacted.”
West Coast Estates, meanwhile, said it was delighted with the news and said it would bring a £6m investment and create 100 jobs.
"We are delighted that the application has been approved by the Highland Council's north planning applications committee,” said a spokesperson.
"Since submitting our planning application in 2023, we have worked closely with the Council, statutory consultees and the local community to help bring our plans to fruition. We are confident our approved proposals will make a positive impact through the creation of around 100 local jobs and a significant investment of £6million into the local area.
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who engaged with our proposals over the last couple of years. We look forward to revealing further timescales for the opening and operation of the roadside development in due course."
But Mr Stott was sceptical as to whether the development’s impacts will be positive, and he repeated local concerns that the new shop may threaten the future of the village’s existing store and Post Office on the seafront.
He was also doubtful that the new hub, store and restaurant will create 100 jobs given that larger mooted developments in the city have projecting lower job creation numbers.
For reference, documents included with an application for a new Home Bargains store in Inverness’s Henderson Road, which were lodged late last year, were only projecting up to 60 new jobs at that site.
He said: “There won't be 100 jobs created in the construction of [the hub], never mind in the running of it. And you're looking also at pretty low paid jobs. No disrespect to supermarket workers, to café workers, but they do not get anything close to what they should be getting. They will be on absolutely minimum wage.
“And we actually have a bit of an employment crisis in the Highlands anyway. We cannot get people to fill jobs. Every supermarket or shop or wherever you go into there's an advert in the window.
“So if there were 100 jobs created they would need to be bussing folk in to fill them from elsewhere in the Highlands because we don't have the staff to fill them here.
"Where's 100 jobs, and what type of jobs are they going to be?”