Ikea Inverness plan given the green light by Highland Council planners
Fans of Swedish furniture giant Ikea will find it even easier to get their Scandinavian design fix after plans for a new facility in Inverness were given the green light.
The global retail giant recently sought permission to install delivery storage lockers in the Tesco Inshes store’s car park.
Ikea has been running a mobile pick-up point at the Tesco store as part of a wider partnership with the supermarket giant that saw 100 similar schemes running elsewhere in the UK.
Those have proven popular, with Ikea customers ordering online and then meeting a delivery van within a participating Tesco site to collect their order.
And the popularity of the Tesco Inshes scheme convinced Ikea to take the plunge and install permanent pick-up lockers within the car park - enabling round-the-clock collection of orders at a convenient time to suit the customer.
Ikea said the move to install the pick-up lockers in the Highland capital, comes amid "growing market demand" and "the popularity of online retail".
The new facility, which will result in the loss of around eight to 10 car parking spaces, will be located not far from the Tesco store’s click-and-collect area at the northern end of the car park.
It will feature a block of 40 storage lockers of varying size as well as a drive-in/loading area for customers to stop off, open their relevant delivery locker, retrieve their purchases and load them into their vehicle.
The block of lockers will extend 8.2 metres horizontally, and stand 2.4 metres tall, with Ikea signs and branding taking the total height to 3.1m. The signs above the lockers will be lit at night..
Granting permission under delegated powers, Highland Council’s planning officers said: “The proposed signage has been accepted on Ikea retail units elsewhere.
“It is sited on the car parking spaces within the retail park. Its design is considered in keeping with existing buildings in at Inshes Retail Park. No neighbours will be directly affected by the lighting from the proposed advertisement.”
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