18 load-bearing columns showing signs of wear at Inverness multi-storey car park; scale of repair work raises possibility that 200 parking bays to stay shut during busy Christmas period? Highland business leaders raise concerns over impact on festive trade
Worried business leaders are concerned that vital Inverness city centre parking will be out of action during the key Christmas trading period.
They have called on Highland Council and contactors to “push on” with repairs to the Rose Street multi-storey car park as soon as possible, amid fears that an original completion date earmarked for the end of the year will be missed.
More than 200 bays in the multi-storey have been cordoned off since the summer after Highland Council identified repair work that needs to be carried out.
It is now understood that 18 load bearing columns on the ground floor have “structural repair Issues” and that although the council “see no evident risk of collapse to the structure”, the complex nature of the repairs required means it has taken longer to secure a contractor and assess the “interventions” that will be required.
But the bays’ continued closure means the car park is operating at only three-quarters capacity, meaning that at busy periods it can reach its limit earlier and prevent shoppers from parking near city centre shops.
Speaking when the bays were first cordoned off back in June, the local authority had originally projected that work would be completed within six months.
But with December now just five weeks away, and no sign of any work even starting on the repairs, business figures are growing increasingly concerned that the loss of parking will lead to falling trade if shoppers find the car park full when visiting the city.
They had already raised concerns last month when it began to look like the start of work might be delayed.
And after a new update from Highland Council suggested several hoops still have to be jumped through before work can begin, those worries have only grown further.
Mike Duncan, local development manager for the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Before we even consider a completion date for the maintenance work required at Rose Street car park, there has to be a start date.
“Unfortunately, it appears that the preliminary engineering investigations are pushing any potential start date back. This means the completion date is also being pushed back and the chances of finishing the repairs before the Christmas rush are dwindling.
“Local businesses understand that there’s a complexity involved and that this has slowed down the process. However, we need to make is as easy as possible for shoppers to access Inverness city centre in the run-up to Christmas.
“Small and independent businesses will be doing all they can to create a fantastically festive shopping experience. We need the Council and their contractors to push on and do their bit to help spread the Christmas cheer.”
He was speaking after further details emerged about the nature of the damage to the car park.
In an update sent to the Courier, a council spokesperson confirmed that repairs were likely to be more complex than originally thought.
And although the spokesperson did not say completion of the works was likely to slip, its remarks that assessments of the damage “are currently being carried out” has raised the prospect that work - when it finally begins - will run into 2025.
“Due to the complexity of the engineering involved, it has taken the council longer than anticipated to secure a design and build contract,” said a council spokesperson. “A contract award was made in September to Mott Macdonald Engineering to design and deliver the structural repairs. Assessments are currently being carried out by Mott Macdonald Engineering to establish the required interventions and a programme of works to deliver them.
“We will report the outcomes of the structural assessment to Inverness councillors once we have them.”
Further details have also emerged about the repair work required, and the reason as to why many more bays on the car park’s south facing flank are out of action than elsewhere in the multi-storey. The details also explain why it has taken the council longer to secure a repair contractor for the work.
The council spokesman said: “Issues have been identified with the ground floor columns within the multi storey car park. Bays that have been cordoned off on multiple floors are a precautionary measure to relieve the loading on the ground floor columns.
“We see no evident risk of collapse to the structure however erosion to the ground floor southern columns is a consideration that we are monitoring and to avoid any further deterioration we have taken the decision to relieve vertical loading from the above floors on the identified ground floor columns.”
The southern part of the multi-storey’s ground floor, which sits lower than any other part of the building, has been prone to flash flooding in the past during periods of heavy rain.