Inverness councillors set to discuss proposal to integrate two strategies to ramp-up development in the city in what amounts to potentially the biggest changes for generations as MP Drew Hendry says everyone needs to work together to 'create a great place to live, work and study'
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Plans that aim to deliver the biggest changes to Inverness in generations could be about to take a major step forward when councillors discuss twin strategies for the city at a crunch meeting next week.
At stake are two separate but not competing versions of how the city could develop in years to come – Highland Council’s Inverness City Centre Vision and Inverness: One City, One Vision produced by the Inverness Futures Group.
The council strategy specifically targets individual projects – 61 in all, not including dozens of potential proposals – that improve access, boost business, reduce climate harms, increase housing, and generally raise the standard of living.
The Inverness Futures Group vision aims to inform concrete plans for the future that encapsulate the whole city, hoping to make it a greener, more liveable, family-friendly place with lively cultural and economic sectors.
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Councillors on the Inverness area committee are being asked to approve engagement on the Inverness Strategy from this month, with an aim to put it out to the widest possible audience for consultation.
They are also asked to approve the integration of the Inverness: One City, One Vision into the overall strategy and that the projects being taken forward “will be viewed in that context, and timescales, subject to funding opportunities being identified”.
A report to the committee outlines the approach to “developing, communicating and consulting upon an overarching strategy for Inverness, with a particular emphasis on the city centre.”
Having a strategy in place is vital for projects to access funding from a wide range of sources whether they are in government, enterprise agencies or other organisations.
That strategy, in brief, seeks to give the city an economic, social and cultural lift by improving, developing or redeveloping existing infrastructure so that it becomes a better place to live and visit for all.
More than a dozen major projects have been delivered since 2018 – including the Hydro Ness scheme and the new Inverness Justice Centre – while a further 13 are expected to be finished by 2025. They include the Raigmore Interchange active travel improvements, Raigmore bus gate – described as a “quick win” despite being almost a decade in gestation – and Inverness Airport Business Park.
Those projects expected to be completed by 2030 include Inverness Rail Station masterplan, Longman Junction improvements, the completion of Inverness Castle phase three and the long-awaited redevelopment of the former Eastgate Hostel.
But it will also include Inverness Futures Group’s broader vision for the city as a whole which now has a raft of backers ranging from enterprise agencies and business organisations to local MSPs – and could now also be set to include the council.
Its backing would give the vision more substance to progress its aims of making the city a better and more liveable place for all while delivering on climate objectives through improved infrastructure.
Inverness MP Drew Hendry, chairman of the Inverness Futures Group, said: “When we launched the One City, One Vision report last year, the response was fantastic.
“Local residents and business leaders alike recognise the need for a shared approach to developing our city.
“Creating a great place to live, work and study is greater than any one organisation and I am excited to work with constituents and city leaders to develop this next chapter for Inverness.”
