£30m Inverness Castle revamp passes latest small milestone after some of the scaffolding is removed

The £30m transformation of Inverness Castle into a tourist attraction has passed another small milestone - after some of the scaffolding shrouding the landmark was removed.

The building, which housed the city's sheriff court until late last decade, is being turned into major visitor centre and museum.

The venue is due to open next year, when it will serve as a new flagship city venue for locals and visitors, and will celebrate the ‘spirit of the Highlands’ through stories past, present and future.

Just last month Highland Council's principal project manager Jason Kelman highlighted "considerable progress" that had been made on the revamp and construction work since November.

These included a shift in focus towards getting the South Tower up to the same level as the North Tower - which has been open to tourists as a viewing platform and small museum since before the castle closed its doors.

And in a further sign this month, some of the scaffolding which has long shrouded parts fo the building has now come down - although there's still plenty of work to be done before the site is ready to open.

The work is being financed through the Scottish and UK governments, as well as Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and a number of other partners.

The funds are part of the wider Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal, which is bringing up to £315m worth of inverstment to the local authority area.

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