Inverness Campus development plans revised

Revised plans will be on display for public viewing next Tuesday (14 August).

The proposals are to create an innovative healthcare and life sciences multidisciplinary centre serving the whole of the Highlands and Islands region.

It is a joint project between NHS Highland, the University of the Highlands and Islands and Highlands Islands Enterprise (HIE), and is forecast to create around 189 new jobs.

The initial plans were on display in July, during which  the developers  received feedback and suggestions. These have led to changes to both the design and positioning of the building, as well as additional parking.

The revised plans can be viewed by the public in An Lòchran, 10 Inverness Campus on Tuesday 14 August between 8am and 7pm.

Ruaraidh Macneil, HIE’s Inverness Campus director, said:

“The feedback from people who viewed the plans in July was incredibly useful and we are very pleased to have been able to make improvements as a result.

“This is a major development for Inverness and for the Highlands and Islands, delivering on a number of fronts. It will improve the health outcomes and patient experience across the region, while supporting the ongoing growth of the University of the Highlands and Islands.  At the same time, it will also create new commercial opportunities and high value career options, thereby helping to attract and retain new talent for the region.”

The project builds on the success of the Centre for Health Science, which has shown the regional benefits generated by partnership working across agencies. Developed by HIE next to Raigmore Hospital, this project has been operating successfully since opening in 2008.

The ‘Centre for Health Science 2’ will be housed within a building of more than 8,000m2 on Inverness Campus. Occupying the largest proportion of this will be a £34m elective care centre for the north of Scotland, led by NHS Highland. Due to open in 2021, this will have 28 inpatient beds, four operating theatres and day case and outpatient facilities.

The University of the Highlands and Islands, which has been allocated £9m from the UK Government through the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal, will develop a Life Sciences Innovation Centre.

UK Government Minister, Lord Duncan said:

“This is fantastic news and I am looking forward to seeing how the campus develops. I am sure that the life sciences innovation hub, which the UK Government was pleased to support with £9 million funding through the City Region Deal, will be a catalyst for developing and supporting science and innovation throughout the Highlands.”

The new building will feature a life science business incubator. This will be created by HIE to support commercial engagement across the partnership.  The facility will be used to attract innovative new life sciences businesses to the region. It will provide office and laboratory spaces for start-up and inward investment firms engaged in creating new products and services for the healthcare sector.

HIE has been developing Inverness Campus to support the growth in the region’s life science sector. From the start of the development there has been an emphasis on collaboration between education, research and business.