Eastgate Shopping Centre owners concerned about plans for Academy Street in Inverness
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The owners of the Eastgate Shopping Centre are the latest business voice to raise concerns about plans to limit traffic access to Academy Street.
Scoop Asset Management, on behalf of Eastgate Unit Trust (EUT), owners of the centre, have spoken exclusively to The Inverness Courier about their fears.
A spokesman said: “Scoop and EUT consider the discussions around the future of Academy Street to be critically important in many different respects.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we recognise that, as a ‘gateway’ to the city centre, Academy Street is in need of a makeover and some through-traffic should be re-routed to improve general ease of access/egress, safety, amenity and the environment. However, a balanced approach needs to be adopted which carefully considers the concerns of all stakeholders, including commercial businesses.”
Asked to clarify exactly what they would like to see done they said access for at least some through traffic had to be retained – a measure made impossible by the inclusion of a bus only lane as part of the latest plan.
“We would encourage Highland Council to pause their current strategy and properly communicate/engage with all interested parties on an open-minded and constructive basis prior to producing a strategy for public consultation which has a broad base of support,” they added. “We fear that the plans they have will ultimately make shoppers and patrons think twice about going into the city centre because of the difficulties they will have with access. The retail park will become busier and busier and people whose livelihoods depend on city centre trade could be very detrimentally impacted.”
Scoop also claimed Highland Council has so far failed to properly engage with it over its concerns.
It has written to the Scottish Information Commissioner, claiming the council has failed to provide any “substantive responses” to requests for information.
It claims an original request dated December 29 last year should have been answered by February 2 only to be pushed back to March 23 – and they are still waiting for a response. It also claims a request to the council’s freedom of information officer on March 31 for a review of the failure to respond is also so far unanswered – as are letters to the council’s chief executive and political leader submitted on the same date.
The spokesperson said: “As a stakeholder that owns a vast piece of real estate within the area that stands to be affected by this plan we should have the ear of the council on this.”
The Eastgate’s voice is now added to that of Inverness BID which detailed “significant concerns” in its response to the plans in March while frustration with Highland Council’s “blinkered” vision prompted Scott Murray, owner of city hospitality and tourism firm Cru Holdings, to create the Inverness City Alliance in a bid to try and make local voices better heard.
A spokesperson for Highland Council said the FOI query had been sent to the customer resolution team.
They added: “As the Eastgate Centre management should be aware, the council recently held three days of engagement with a wide range of city centre business owners, where the current design option for Academy Street was the subject of much debate and discussion.
“Feedback from these events is being collated and we look forward to further engagement with businesses and business groups over the coming weeks.
“As in any significant capital project that would introduce changes to current transport arrangements, the council appreciates that there are different points of view, and any final decision on progressing any scheme of Academy Street will be brought forward through the appropriate council committees and through all necessary statutory consent requirements.”
