Master Plan For A96 Corridor (06/06/05)

Members of The Highland Council’s Inverness and Nairn Area Committees have agreed to support a development strategy of the A96 corridor which could provide homes for an expected 20-30,000 population growth over the next 30-50 years.

Both committees agreed to support for their interest the recommended A96 corridor strategy which sets out a vision for:

•  population growth of 20-30,000 people over the next 30-50 years.
   a new settlement of 10,000+ population located south of the Airport to be developed post - 2011 on around 250ha of land, subject to detailed layout, programming and infrastructure contributions agreement.
• a new community/resort at the site of the former Ardersier Fabrication Yard for approximately 3000 people.
• expansion of existing settlements within the Corridor in accordance with housing allocations contained in the current Inverness and Nairn Local Plans at Ardersier, Croy, Culloden Moor/Sunnyside, Culloden and Nairn, together with various smaller settlements. These will accommodate a further 1200 houses (2500-3000 people).
• review of the scope for additional long term development around the southern edge of Nairn and the eastern margins of Inverness, linked explicitly to,  improvements to the transport network, particularly further dualling of the A96(T), provision of a Nairn bypass and an interchange upgrade/bypass for Raigmore/Inshes.
• corresponding commitment to reinforce the existing Local Plan policy presumption against further development within the Corridor including sporadic housing in the countryside, allied with a strategy to enhance the landscape/heritage features and supplement recreational facilities including the network of cycle/walkways.

Members agreed that further public consultation and publicity of the proposals would start immediately and this would include the production of an illustrated summary leaflet and matching visual presentation describing the proposals and the process of their evolution to date. These items to be made widely available to residents, local groups and circulated to stakeholders for information purposes, supplemented by a public meeting in each Area.

Members agreed to contribute of £25,000 from the 2005/6 and 2006/7 Highland Council Planning and Development Service consultancy budget towards further consultancy costs totalling £150,000. The second stage of consultancy will cover detailed infrastructure studies on water supply, mains drainage, land use and strategic roads investigations, electricity supply arrangements, and production of an implementation plan.

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