The Highland Council has announced it has set aside funding to support a number of refurbishment or development projects in the area.

One of the projects to benefit will be a hospice. A refurbishment of Ness House, as well as the new Netley Centre in Inverness, will be undertaken. It will cost a total of £6.5m, but the Highland Council has said it is to contribute £200,000 of funding, which will come from its Capital Discretionary Fund for 2014/15.

Elsewhere, Kinlochshiel Shinty Club has been awarded £45,000 towards the development of a new playing field at Balmacara with associated facilities.

Funding of up to £40,000 has been released to Ross and Cromarty Citizen's Advice Bureau to help them re-furbish the former Social Work property Suie House in Alness for their new offices. The project will also mean their current site on Novar Road, Alness, will be vacated. The Council said it plans to create four one-bedroom self-contained flats for affordable rent on the land.

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A total of £50,000 has been granted to Poolewe and District Swimming Pool which is owned and managed by a community company. The funding will help improve the facilities and allow essential upgrading works to be undertaken.

Lastly, a contribution of £150,000 will go towards a funding package to enable the development of a hub for the Highland Science Skills Academy at UHI's Inverness Campus Partnership Facility. This is a new joint building with the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

Commenting on the funding, Chair of the Resources Committee, Councillor Maxine Smith, said: "Our current Capital Plan makes provision for additional funding to the Capital Discretionary Fund of £0.5m per year which is used to match fund community projects and support projects that clearly deliver community benefits or financial savings.

"Both the leisure improvement projects in Poolewe and Balmacara will help empower their local communities and encourage more people to participate while the Ross-shire CAB and Hospice refurbishment projects will see the creation of new facilities that reflect the excellent advice and care that both groups provide to people that need it the most.

"I am especially excited about seeing the new Science Skills Academy open as it will play a key role in promoting careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to our young people and helping them access the best of education and training opportunities."

(JP/CD)