City centre needs clearer future vision
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BOLDER action by the council and a recognition of just how important Inverness is as a tourist destination hold the key to improving the city centre it has been claimed.
Retired civil engineer Bill Dougan thinks a masterplan for the city centre is well overdue and has even put his professional skills to good use in drawing one up himself.
Sharing his thoughts with the Inverness Courier as the latest contributor to our call for ideas on how to improve the area it’s in large part a no-holds-barred plan for mass demolitions in an effort to better show off the historic centre for the benefit of visitors.
"The future of Inverness is in tourism and the old town," he said. "If we can make it more attractive for tourists that will really stand us in good stead for the future, encouraging more people to come here and then having the knock-on effect of creating a better market for more shops, restaurants and everything else."
Perhaps not surprisingly top of Cradlehall resident Mr Dougan’s hit list are the eyesore office blocks in Bridge Street.
"Have you ever heard anybody say they like them?" he asked. "And just think what you could open up by removing them in terms of the view from the castle, the space that could be created there for all kinds of activities, for open air recreation space and so on.
"I don’t believe taking them down would be a particularly hard job either. Because of the way they’re built they could be fairly easily dismantled rather than having to be ‘blown up’, but it’s about having the will to do it.
"I’d like to see Highland Council taking a much more proactive approach to things, keeping an eye out for property coming up for sale and buying with a view to improving things wherever they can.
"There is the City Deal but also the Common Good Fund as a source of funds for the council, and when you think about how important the city centre is for the economy as a whole what could be more to the common good than doing all that you can to improve it?"
Other city centre buildings Mr Dougan would like to see go are the High Street property whose ground floor currently provides a base for the Poundland store - next to the currently under renovation Caledonian bar and restaurant - as well as the post office building on Queensgate and the former Farmfoods store on Academy Street.
"I know myself when I go on holiday one of the things I’m always looking for is a nice open space to sit and just watch the world go by," said Mr Dougan.
"Taking these buildings away, which are of little architectural value, would open things up, show the better buildings Inverness has to better effect and create a network of squares that could then attract more cafes, craft activities and the like.
"I don’t see this as being a quick fix by any manner of means - you’re talking about a 20-year plan at least - but I think the important thing is to have that masterplan vision and to keep working towards it.
"At the moment there is no overarching concept and I think in too many cases that means developers get too free a rein to do what they like.
"That needs to stop."
