Inverness business leaders believe questions remain over Academy Street plan
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Business leaders have been reacting to a study of the potential impact of planned changes to Academy Street in Inverness.
An assessment of Highland Council’s ambitions to revamp Academy Street found it represents poor value for money and could lead to longer car journeys in the city.
The proposals seek to cut traffic movements on Academy Street to just 2000 a day, a drop of around 70 per cent.
The study was carried out by indepndent consultants WSP.
Inverness Business Improvement District has strongly objected to the plans as they stand and the owners of the Eastgate Shopping Centre want a judicial review of the consultation process for the project.
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David Richardson, the Federation of Small Businesses’ Highlands & Islands development manager, said: “Businesses will be encouraged to hear that the changes to Academy Street could lead to between £1.5 million and £4 million of positive economic impact based on anticipated increases to footfall and associated visitor and retail expenditure.
“However, many issues remain.
“WSP told us that rather than reducing carbon emissions and helping combat global warming, the proposed changes will increase greenhouse gas emissions and worsen the situation.
“And the return on investment is negative, generating only 51 pence for every pound spent.
“Highland Council pointed out that this is Scottish Government money, not council money, but really it’s neither: it’s taxpayers’ money – our money.
“WSP has also calculated things called TEEs (Transport Economic Efficiency Outcomes), and these reveal that businesses would face significant cost increases as measured by business travel times, commuting travel times, ‘other’ travel times and vehicle operating costs.
“Many businesses’ backs are already against the wall, can they really cope with more cost and hassle?
“The big plus would be Active Travel journey quality and reduced risk or premature death, but this raises a fundamental question. What is Inverness for?
“Active travel is all about cycling and walking, and for Inverness’ residents, enhancing the quality of these could be very positive.
“So, if Inverness was like most other large towns/small cities - a self-contained settlement with a smallish hinterland - all would be well. But it isn’t.
“Inverness purports to be the Highland capital with a truly vast hinterland (Lochaber, Skye, North Sutherland and Caithness…) and it is a major tourism hub to boot.
“Amazingly, no-one knows just what contribution Highland residents living more than, say, 20 miles, or perhaps a one-hour drive from Inverness, make to the city centre’s economy, but we do know that very few bring bicycles with them.
“Neither do we know what impact the increases in commuting travel times and business costs will have on the numbers travelling to and from the city in future.
“The consultants assumed no change, but these people spend money in the city centre and any reduction would have an impact.
“So, is the move to change Academy Street being driven largely by Active Travel, with other considerations – environmental/climate change, return on investment, impact on Highland residents living ‘remotely’, and impact on business costs – playing second fiddle?
“Highland Council is going to consult on its Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) and it is vital that as many businesses as possible respond.
“When making new announcements, Highland Council frequently refers to its Citizens Panel, saying ‘you told us you wanted this and we have delivered.’ Will the TRO consultation assume that the whole thing is a fait accompli and merely ask questions about the detail, or, in the light of the new evidence produced by WSP, will it ask the obvious, ‘Do you want Academy Street to change in the way proposed? “Yes or no?’. Let’s hope it’s the latter – for whether for or against the plans, on something as important as this to their futures, businesses’ voices deserve to be heard.”
Colin Marr, Inverness Chamber of Commerce chief executive, also believes there are questions still to be answered.
“This is public money that’s being invested and looking at the facts presented this week, there currently isn’t sufficient return on investment and the Economic Impact Assessment doesn’t demonstrate value for money for the scheme,” he said.
“However, we recognise this is a complex project trying to solve many challenges and that the benefits may go further than a simple return on investment.
“Everyone agrees that Academy Street isn’t up to the standard it should be, and it’s important that this project continues to be developed and evolve until it's delivering benefits for all.
“We want to see the value for money question addressed, alongside the wider environmental benefits working towards the city’s net zero ambitions, through continued constructive engagement.
“What we believe is vitally important is that businesses have the opportunity and time to be consulted. It is therefore positive that a full statutory consultation over a minimum of 28 days will take place, alongside a proposed in-person, accessible drop-in session over a 7-day period.
“We encourage all businesses to actively take part, review the Academy Street proposals online and have their views represented.
“For Inverness Chamber, because there are a range of views within our membership, we will continue to engage constructively with The Highland Council to ensure everyone feels informed. ”
