Fearn housing bid could help meet Easter Ross freeport demand
A PROPOSED Easter Ross housing development is being touted as ideal to help supply anticipated freeport demand. Applicant Bruce Taylor of Bramblewood, Munlochy has tabled plans with Highland Council for the erection of six houses and four cottage flats on land 70m south New Geanies, Geanies, Fearn. The site has a previous, expired, consent for three large, detached houses and two semi-detached affordable houses.
Papers lodged with the proposal say that the applicant has engaged with affordable housing providers who have expressed an interest in the site and said it would be in line with its affordable housing plan, particularly due to its proximity to the Inverness & Cromarty Firth Green Freeport (ICFGF) Nigg facility. The site has been redesigned with input from affordable housing providers to reflect the demand for smaller two and three-bed properties in this area. Background papers submitted with the application state the development will help revitalise the local rural area by providing a legacy for the nearby Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport (ICFGF), ensuring a good supply of well-located homes in close proximity to the new centres of development.
A statement concludes: "An identified local affordable housing need has clearly been established through engaging with local housing providers (the Highland Council and Highland Housing Alliance). "This development will provide much-needed high quality affordable housing within the context of a national and Highland-wide housing crisis."
The proximity to proposed developments associated with the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport (ICFGF), specifically Nigg Energy Park, "make it an ideal location for housing to support local employment". The proposed housing will help to provide an intergenerational legacy from the burgeoning economic development of this area as a centre for renewable technology and energy generation.
The proposal is under consideration by Highland Council.