Eastgate Shopping Centre owners given go-ahead to extend Inverness city centre building
Resubmitted plans to extend a prominent building in Inverness city centre which has been empty since last autumn have been approved.
The Filling Station, an American diner and bar previously located in Academy Street, closed its doors last October.
The owners of the Eastgate Shopping Centre - who also own the former Filling Station building - submitted an application to Highland Council to renew lapsed planning and listed building consent for an extension to the former Filling Station which would run into Falcon Square.
They said the work was necessary for the building to be commercially lettable.
Shopping centre owners apply to renew planning permission to extend city centre building
Previously, an extension was applied for and approved in March 2017 - as part of a planned broader revamp of the area first unveiled in 2016 - but this lapsed.
This has now been approved subject to conditions including the requirement for work to start within three years of the date of the decision notice.
A planning statement submitted as part of the application on behalf of Scoop Turriga, agent for the Eastgate Unit Trust, said the extension would allow the works to proceed with a new operator.
“It should be noted that the original building is now empty and has an existing layout that is not functional for an end operator, which means it is not commercially viable without the actions proposed,” it stated.
It said the proposals would allow a sustainable business to occupy the space and revitalise the wider Falcon Square area.
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