The Highland Council has said it has listened to comments made by local sporting groups and individual members of the public regarding plans for two major projects to the west of Inverness.

More than 500 people attended consultation events in April and May over updating the plans for the two schemes.

The two projects are the Inverness West Link scheme, and the Sports Hub/Torvean Golf Course.

Progress will now be reported in the first instance to the City of Inverness Area Committee on Monday 12 August.

The Torvean and Ness-side Development Brief will also be considered at the same meeting.

With regards to the West Link, the Council has embraced comments from walkers and cyclists and has included additional features within the design. These changes are considered highly beneficial to the scheme, but are not thought to be significant enough to require further consultation.

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Changes will be presented at the next full council meeting in September for approval, and possibly paving the way for for the early submission of a planning application for the road.

For the Sports Hub/Golf Course, enhancements to the facility and its boundaries after receiving feedback from the public are deemed significant enough to require a new 12-week period of consultation with the public.

The development brief has been changed to incorporate:

• the enlargement of the sports hub and deletion of a mixed use development area
• a golf practice area
• an area for the expansion of Kilvean Cemetery which is close to its capacity
• the provision of 4 sports pitches at a different location to that previously shown.

It is proposed to seek planning permission for the Sports Hub/Golf Course in mid-November, with consideration of the application expected by March 2014.

Council Leader Drew Hendry said: "We have responded very positively to comments made by the public to the Inverness West Link consultations and the sports hub/golf course realignment. I am confident the public will be pleased with what we have taken on board.

"The boundaries to the sports hub proposals have been changed to accommodate the responses to our consultation and this is why we need to go back out for a further period of consultation on this element.

"The important factor is that this will not delay the start date for the new road in 2015."

(JP/CD)