Owner of Inverness pub Hootananny says Highland Council planners need to work faster to protect local business

An Inverness pub landlord appalled by the slow pace of the planning process has urged Highland Council to sharpen up to support the Covid-19 recovery.

Hootananny owner Kit Fraser waited eight months for permission to turn two upper floors of his Inverness city centre premises into a backpackers’ hostel.

The move, now abandoned, would have seen the popular Mad Hatters live music venue closed.

With hostel dormitories presenting social-distancing challenges during the pandemic, Mr Fraser decided to scrap the plan despite just receiving planning approval.

All the three floors of the Church Street complex will now be used to maximise bar and restaurant capacity with an extra 50 seats while live entertainment remains in lockdown.

Although Mr Fraser credits the planning department for “inadvertently saving” Mad Hatters, he is concerned about the ill-effects of delays in the planning process.

He said: “My application went in last year. It is unbelievable, the speed of the planning department. For businesses, time is money.

“This should have been a simple rubber stamp – putting up a couple of walls. I was planning it to be ready in time for spring this year.

“Covid has changed everything and this might actually be a blessing in disguise. Dormitory accommodation is not Covid-friendly so the council has, unwittingly, saved my bacon.

“But it’s essential that we recognise how much the economy depends on moving quickly. Wealth is as important as health because, without it, we can’t pay for our doctors and nurses. We, the wealth creators, have to create wealth so we can be taxed black and blue to pay for the NHS.

“When unemployment increases, mental health suffers, and depression is expensive to treat.

“We need to be really good to the wealth creators. The economy depends on it. Bureaucracy holding up investment is damaging.

“Deals fall apart when it takes such a huge amount of time and energy to turn positive plans into action.

“It’s not the planning department’s fault. They are just grossly understaffed. The planning department is the only wealth-creating department within local government so why economise?”

A spokesman for Highland Council said: “Clearly, the pandemic affected response times for planning applications. The service is now fully up and running and continuing an effective service to help deliver developments throughout the Highlands.”

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