A long-awaited new rail station at Inverness Airport, to herald multi-million pound investment in an area of the Highlands earmarked for crucial development, has finally been given the green light.

But the £5m project was almost derailed at Highland Council’s planning committee by concerns over the associated closure of a local level crossing. Only assurances that a separate order would have to be framed, which would require objectors’ views to be heard in a public inquiry or official hearing, persuaded councillors to approve the application.

The 568ft platform is expected to be built by December with the station open to passengers before the end of next year.

The plan includes car parking for 150 vehicles. The airport is expected to run a shuttle bus on the mile between the terminal and the new Dalcross station between Inverness and Nairn, on the main line from the Highland capital to Aberdeen.

It is estimated that "ridership" figures on this section of the line will increase from 160,000 to 400,000 by 2050 with the arrival of the new stop. Also that for every £1 spent on project the surrounding area should get £3.60 back in benefits.

As well as travellers using the airport, it will provide transport links for the new town of Tornagrain where work has already begun on the 5,000 due to be built.

The report from planning officials considered by councillors advised that Tornagrain would have “shops, schools and community facilities over a series of phases during the next 30 – 50 years. It will have an estimated population of 10,000. Dalcross Railway Station is identified as transport linkage, helping to ensure that Tornagrain is a sustainable community.”

But the new railway station is also seen as integral to plans for the Inverness Airport Business Park. Around 500 acres of land have been identified near the airport for development as a business / research and development park / hotel / conference centre.

Meanwhile the nearby A96 road to Aberdeen is also scheduled for upgrading.

Ken McCorquodale, Principal Planner said the council had “lofty ambitions” for this area to the east of Inverness, and the new railway station was an important part of them.

The new station plan would tie in with proposals for half-hourly train services between Elgin and Inverness, and an hourly service pattern between Inverness and Aberdeen. It has been forecast that within 50 years Dalcross could overtake Elgin to become the second busiest in the north, after Inverness.

However Ardersier and Petty Community Council said that while it was fully supportive of a railway station at Inverness Airport, it had significant concerns, on behalf residents, who would be affected by the closure of the Petty level crossing, which would have a negative impact on local access arrangements.

But the applicant the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS), the statutory regional transport partnership, had a transport assessment carried out, which said that when considering the wider economic and transport benefits to the Highlands the new Inverness Airport station would bring, the closure of the level crossing was acceptable. "There will be safety benefits associated with the crossing closure itself and consultation with the various emergency services has indicated that there would be little or no impact on their ability to serve the local area as a consequence,” it said.

However local councillor Kate Stephen, while supporting the new station, criticised the lack of local consultation over the level crossing.

There was a previous Dalcross Station, near the closure-threatened level crossing, but it closed in 1965.

HITRANS began planning for the new station in in 2005, and already looking to build a second platform and a “passing place” for trains at Dalcross.