Construction of the new all-weather pitch is now under way, with the orientation of the surface visible,<\/p>\n
\u2018No final decisions\u2019 have been made over a long-hoped for multimillion-pound tennis academy in the east of Inverness, the council has stressed – despite the city\u2019s new \u00a31.9m all-weather pitch at Inverness Campus being built on land originally earmarked for one.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> mentioned a \u201cchange in orientation\u201d for the pitch from that originally approved late last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> which included a new orientation for the pitch and the loss of the temporary changing facility.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, the new orientation of the all-weather pitch means it now occupies a large chunk of land previously earmarked in drawings for \u201cfuture phase tennis academy\u201d – raising fears that the academy element of the plans might be shelved.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cno final decisions have been made\u201d and that funding options for an academy \u201ccontinue to be explored\u201d – but they stopped short of confirming that they will go ahead.<\/p>\n They also confirmed the dropping of a changing facility from \u201cthis current phase of works\u201d, but expressed \u201chope\u201d that a permanent building could form \u201cpart of either the current or future phase of development\u201d and that funding for that \u201cis being sought\u201d.<\/p>\n In the interim, the all-weather pitch will now open with \u201ctemporary toilet accommodation\u201d instead of a modular changing facility when it is completed next spring.<\/p>\n The council spokesperson said: \u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n \u201cA 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAs 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThis current phase of the project remains focused on delivering a high-quality all-weather sports pitch for educational and community use.\u201d<\/p>\nThe 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.<\/p>\n