A new boardwalk and path improvements are set for an Inverness beauty spot after Highland Council gave the project the thumbs up.
An application was lodged late last year to replace the existing wooden boardwalk at Merkinch Local Nature Reserve, which has been degrading from its years exposed to the elements and coastal environment.
The current boardwalk curves away from the shore of the Beauly Firth, not far from the pedestrian crossing over the Far North railway line, and heads out across a sheltered tidal basin that is home a host of local wildlife.
The new boardwalk will be wider in places to improve access, and will also have eight benches. It will also be constructed from reinforced recycled plastic coloured brown to mimic timber, in a bid to make it last longer.
An aerial view of the boardwalk, its location within the nature reserve, and the various paths in the area.
A number of adjoining paths will also be resurfaced and new direction signs erected.
As well as these, the path’s entrance onto Carnac Crescent will have a new streetlight installed to improve visibility, and there would be an area where two groupings of three ‘play boulders’ would be sited,
The paths will also have five wider areas which will feature a display board, three benches, and three cycle stands. Another bench will be installed along a path of another footpath heading south.
The nature reserve is home to a mix of tidal pools, marshes, reed beds and scrub land and is a haven for wildlife in the area. Species known to visit include the occasional roe deer as well as owls, weasels, herons, cormorants and various other wading birds.
The planned boardwalk and other improvements were approved by Highland Council planning officers under delegated powers.
An artist’s impression of the replacement boardwalk and its curved and sloped access from the seaside path.
The application replaces an earlier one which would have expired in February. Delays in securing funding for the work meant that earlier permission would have timed out before work could begin. The new permission will prevent that from happening.
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