Planning consent granted for Inverness Campus

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has been granted planning permission in principle to progress the second and final phase of development at Inverness Campus.

The consent is subject to a Section 75 agreement being finalised between HIE and The Highland Council.

Most of the proposed development is for business premises, with other elements including hotel and academic space. The application also covers associated infrastructure, landscaping and green space.

Inverness Campus extends to 215 acres, 89 of which have been developed. Of the remaining 116 acres, 27 are included in the Inverness and Cromarty Green Freeport, allowing eligible companies locating there to benefit from a range of tax incentives.

Freeport status also creates opportunities for the Campus to support industries such as the new renewable energy sector, to complement the established life sciences cluster.

HIE has been developing Inverness Campus since 2007 with construction starting in 2013. The agency’s initial £25m funding approval for the project has attracted more than £180m of further investment. The campus is now a high-quality collaborative environment that supports around 1,000 jobs across public, private and academic sectors.

Since opening in 2015 the Campus has grown into a world-class business location and is now home to around 20 commercial enterprises, with more in the pipeline, as well as organisations such as UHI Inverness, SRUC, NHS Highland and HIE.

An updated masterplan for the remaining undeveloped area of the site was drafted by Turnberry on HIE’s behalf and based on the vision set out in the original design concept. This was followed by public consultation in January and February 2025 to give local people the opportunity to help finalise the masterplan. HIE submitted the application for planning permission in principle in May.

David Oxley, HIE’s director of strategic projects said:

“We’re very pleased to have secured planning consent in principle for the next phase of development at Inverness Campus. We’re now in the process of finalising the Section 75 Agreement to enable work to get under way.

“Meanwhile, we’d like to thank everyone who took the time to examine the draft masterplan and provide feedback during the consultation early this year. This was extremely helpful in informing the planning application.”