New flats await bird survey results

Highland Council is planning a 15-flat development in Portree to ease the Isle of Skye's housing crisis, but has confirmed the go-ahead for the scheme may rely on bat and bird breeding surveys.

The local authority is proposing to demolish 16 ageing bedsits at Cruachan Place, and replace them with modern, highly sought-after one and two-bedroom flats. The tourist town has become a victim of its own success in recent years, and demand for one and two-bedroom accommodation is at an all-time high.

Eurasian Oystercatcher is commonly found in and around Loch Portree on the Isle of Skye (Nick Appleton).

If the plan is approved, the two-storey block of bedsits, built 34 years ago, will be demolished to make way for a three-story development. Highland Council is seeking tenders for the project. In a planning statement, officers said: "This street is currently used as a drop-off point by a minibus taking some children to and from the adjacent primary school.

"We will be providing a safer environment for turning the vehicle and better connectivity on the route to school. The site is located to the north of the centre of Portree, a walking distance of approximately 350 metres, set in a residential area with the local primary school on the east boundary.

"A protected species walkover survey was carried out in January by a senior ranger in Highland Council. The conclusions were that, as the two existing buildings are to be demolished, a bat survey would need to be carried out, depending on when the demolition works are to be carried out, [and] a breeding bird survey may be required."