A new £5m leisure development along the A9 is planned for Tomatin, 14 miles south of Highland capital Inverness. Perthshire based Braemore Estates is hoping to defy the doom-mongers and press ahead with a 42 bedroom travel lodge type hotel, 160-seat restaurant, five-unit shopping and a whisky visitor centre.
Juniper village has detailed consent for a total of 28,900 sq ft of space targeting business and leisure travellers to the Highlands on the cleared site of the former Little Chef and Freeburn Hotel.
Lack of quality eating facilities on the Perth to the north of Scotland trunk route is a common criticism and this project, 15 minutes shy of Inverness and the same travelling time from the Speyside whisky trail, is a bid to help address this.
It is much smaller than the Bruar project further down the A9 and, unlike another venture of this kind, at Tullibardine in Perthshire, is offering accommodation as well as retail.
Design of the project is unashamedly Scottish, with talk of log fires, flagstones, views over Strathdearn and the River Findhorn, and wood, slate and stone used to deliver a contemporary take on the traditional travellers rest.
Despite the slowdown, Braemore managing director William Frame wants to press on with the scheme and has recruited Ryden in Glasgow and Speyside surveyor Ranald McWilliam as agents for the project, which is near the Japanese-owned Tomatin malt whisky distillery, which is still in production.
"Our vision is simply to create a thriving business at this busy location, " he said. "This is a prime site with 9000 vehicles a day passing, and is close to Inverness, Aviemore, Loch Ness, Cairngorm national park and the Speyside distillery trail. This roadside facility will provide services from 7am until 10 pm, not currently available."
The firm says it is prepared to joint venture if required and will offer the hotel, 3229 sq ft restaurant and shop facilities (ranging from 1615 to 2150 sq ft) for lease or sale. Construction is projected to take around a year and up to 75 jobs could be created.
"We are seeking investors and/or occupiers with specific operational experience to explore these opportunities with, " said Frame, whose 20year-old firm has a portfolio of residential and commercial properties in Scotland and London. On the question of launching his venture in the difficult economic climate, he remained undeterred.
"We are going to plough on and get on with this development. Any recession is not going to last forever, " he said.
