Construction of the new all-weather pitch is now under way, with the orientation of the surface visible,
‘No final decisions’ have been made over a long-hoped for multimillion-pound tennis academy in the east of Inverness, the council has stressed – despite the city’s new £1.9m all-weather pitch at Inverness Campus being built on land originally earmarked for one.
The local authority issued the statement after it emerged that there have been changes to the originally approved layout of the new all-weather pitch, work on which got under way just last month. The changes came to light after a newly-lodged building warrant mentioned a “change in orientation” for the pitch from that originally approved late last year.
The plans for the all-weather pitch, a temporary modular changing facility and an access road were approved back in December, with work recently beginning on early groundwork at the site.
But it has now emerged that there have been alterations to those plans since they were first approved, with the council quietly greenlighting changes to the layout of the site back in May which included a new orientation for the pitch and the loss of the temporary changing facility.
What’s more, the new orientation of the all-weather pitch means it now occupies a large chunk of land previously earmarked in drawings for “future phase tennis academy” – raising fears that the academy element of the plans might be shelved.
Reaching out to Highland Council for comment on the changes and any impact they could have on future tennis facilities at the campus, a spokesperson stressed that “no final decisions have been made” and that funding options for an academy “continue to be explored” – but they stopped short of confirming that they will go ahead.
They also confirmed the dropping of a changing facility from “this current phase of works”, but expressed “hope” that a permanent building could form “part of either the current or future phase of development” and that funding for that “is being sought”.
In the interim, the all-weather pitch will now open with “temporary toilet accommodation” instead of a modular changing facility when it is completed next spring.
The council spokesperson said: “The pitch orientation was adjusted primarily in response to site conditions, reducing the volume of surplus topsoil requiring removal and helping to manage associated construction costs. The access arrangements were also amended to reflect the revised layout.
The originally approved layout of the site, which was given the greenlight in December 2025, and shows the location of the proposed modular changing facility and the land earmarked for a tennis academy in a “future phase” both circled in red. Picture: Highland Council planning portal.
“A changing facility is not included within this current phase of works. However, funding for a permanent changing facility is being sought and it is hoped that this will be part of either the current or future phase of development, subject to further review of the overall final design specification. Temporary toilet accommodation will be available to users on completion of the pitch in spring 2027.
“As part of wider master-planning considerations for the campus, funding options for tennis facilities continue to be explored and no final decisions have been made at this stage.
“This current phase of the project remains focused on delivering a high-quality all-weather sports pitch for educational and community use.”
Councillor Ken Gowans, who is Highland Council’s vice convener and visited the site of the new all-weather pitch shortly after construction began, was also keen to stress that the local authority is “still working with a couple of stakeholders who are quite keen to put in four covered tennis courts” at the site, but that this would be in a later phase. The original drawings also referred to any such development as being a “future phase” of the project.
Moving onto the initial absence of changing facilities when the pitch opens, he stressed that the council and stakeholders “are definitely looking to put in changing rooms and toilets” but were still working towards that. However, he added that these would take the form of a permanent building, whereas the original proposals were for a less permanent “modular” design.
The new orientation of the all-weather pitch, which was quietly approved back in May and which now sits atop part of the land that was mooted for a tennis academy. The modular changing facility is also missing from the drawing, with temporary toilet facilities now expected to be in place when it opens in the spring. Picture: Highland Council planning portal.
He believes that the pitch’s location close to the A9 and A96, major existing and future housing estates, and its position close to major employers like NHS Highland, means the facility will also be a big success, and added that he was delighted to see the project finally reach the construction stage after many years of work.
Future development of major new housing estates in the east of the city would also likely lead to increased developer contributions that would help towards the costs of changing facilities and any future tennis element, he said.
TennisScotland, which has held discussions with the council in the past over possible funding for a new tennis academy, has confirmed that these remain active despite the change in the all-weather pitch’s orientation to occupy land originally earmarked for one.
A spokesperson said: “It’s correct to say discussions are ongoing between the council and the Transforming Scottish Indoor Tennis (TSIT) funding partnership of Tennis Scotland, sportscotland and LTA, and that all partners are continuing to explore options for indoor tennis in Inverness.”
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