Cycling activists welcome Highland Council vow to reconsider “inadequate” plans for new active travel hub in Inverness
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Campaigners said a change of heart over plans for the Inverness travel hub came as a result of lobbying the Scottish Government.
As part of the local authority’s low-carbon drive, the proposed active travel hub (ATH) at the Rose Street multi-storey car park in Inverness would feature 13 multi-use electric vehicle charging points and eight additional Tesla brand charge points.
It would also provide a wealth of local walking and cycling information, cycle hire, a bike workshop and outreach programmes.
But an initial planning proposal for change of use at the Rose Street car park was attacked by active travel groups who compared it unfavourably to a similar larger-scale, two-base project in Stirling. Now Highland Council has agreed to hold a workshop, at a date to be arranged next month, where they will engage and listen to the concerns of local groups.
Following the workshop, the local authority says the planning application will be amended and re-submitted to reflect requirements and available space.
Mick Heath of Highland Cycling Campaign said: “The council had spoken to Velocity Café as a potential operator of the hub, but hadn’t spoken to groups like Spokes for Folks, the Highland Cycle Campaign, WheelNess or Velocity in its community guise.
“They hadn’t found out what these stakeholders think a travel hub in Inverness should look like, so we welcome this shift.
“They have decided to put it in Rose Street car park because they own that property, not because it is the right place.
“It is the wrong place from all the active travel groups’ perspective. Why would you want to go to Rose Street car park with your trike, wheelchair or scooter, or with your children?
“They have a blinkered approach to what a hub should look like.”
Stirling has a presence near the railway station, but also a much larger base easily accessible for cyclists and less-confident road users, with expansion potential.
Mr Heath stressed: “What we need and want is basically a giant version of the current Velocity café and bicycle workshop, with room to expand commercially and offer more employment opportunities. The kind of location we need is absolutely not a pokey hole with a couple of rooms within the Rose Street car park.”
