Beechwood campus plans approved

The Highland Council’s Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey Planning Applications Committee has unanimously approved a number of outstanding issues surrounding plans by Highlands and Islands Enterprise to establish an educational campus at Beechwood, Inverness.

The Committee accepted the principle of the development in March of last year, when it granted planning permission in principle.

It has now agreed some of the key details, including traffic access, required before development can start on site.  

Committee members were advised that the work proposed to provide access to the Beechwood Farm site was restricted to the existing Culloden Road Corridor and as such did not require significant new land take. It would therefore not prejudice the proposals which would come forward from Transport Scotland for the A9/A96 East Link or lead to abortive work. This would not be the case if a roundabout or gyratory was used, requiring greater land take. 

The use of signal control with MOVA/SCOOT technology would increase the ability of the junction to respond to tidal flows with pronounced am and pm one way peak flows and to respond to high traffic levels on the A9 off slip. An unsignalised roundabout would not be responsive to tidal flows and could be subject to tailbacks. 

The overall package of works would:- 

• Provide access to the Campus without detriment to existing traffic flows;

• Significantly reduce the risk of traffic tailing back from the slip road ontothe A9;

• Provide significant additional capacity for existing traffic in Culloden Road with increased flows across the signalised junctions;

• Replace the existing traffic signals with modern signals incorporating MOVA/SCOOT technology and enabling synchronisation of the two parts of the junction;

• Provide for pedestrians and cyclists including the large numbers expected to access the Campus;

• Provide for public transport including bus priority for buses exiting the Campus.