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THE Inverness Courier has relaunched its campaign to Reinvent the City Centre – three years after we first sparked debate, championed innovative ideas and pushed for change.
Back then we embarked on a conversation on what would make our city centre better and investigated the key issues from rents, rates and parking to antisocial behaviour and out-of-town developments, while considering a wider vision for what would make our city vibrant.
And we spoke to the great and the good – our political, business and community leaders – and more importantly you, the people who live here, – to find out what you thought.
The end result was a Manifesto for Action – a 12-point action plan to make Inverness city centre a better place to live, work and socialise.
Now it’s time to challenge that piece of work, reconsider our vision, push for change and bring pressure on decision-makers to make the future of Inverness city centre the top priority.
After all, as the beating heart of the Highland economy, it’s in everyone’s interest it succeeds.
Some of what we pushed for is beginning to bear fruit, such asfor example Inverness Castle, which will be transformed into a much-needed city centre attraction.
Our campaign instigated that conversation and this Easter we will see the North Tower opened up to members of the public as a viewing platform offering panoramic views of the city and beyond.
The Scottish Courts Service will move out of the building in 2020, paving the way for work to start on transforming the castle, with a museum and art gallery just one of the ideas mooted by Highland Council.
Inverness railway station is on track for a major refurbishment, while the council is also working on projects which will see improvements to Academy Street and the River Ness area. Free wi-fi in the city centre, private investment – including new restaurants and bar at Eastgate Shopping Centre – and the establishments of working groups to consider, among other things, the future of the Victorian Market, have all to be welcomed.
And let’s not forget the recent Good Growth for Cities audit which found Inverness to be the only Scottish city punching above its weight in terms of the quality of its environment, jobs and transport.
But progress is slow and more work is needed. No city can afford to rest on its laurels and while we applaud the council and others for much of the work to date since we launched Reinvent, more is needed.
By its very name, reinvention is a constant process, which is why we’re renewing our call to action. It’s time to have a conversation again about the future of our city centre, firstly, to ensure plans remain on track, proceed as quickly as possible, and working groups lead to positive outcomes, but secondly, to re--assess whether views have changed about what needs to happen to make the city centre vibrant.
Inverness Business Improvement District manager Mike Smith said: “The process needs to be ongoing given the very competitive environment that has different urban centres all striving to keep themselves relevant and attractive in the face of constantly changing public demands.
“A successful city centre is obviously key for the businesses in it, but more widely than that a successful city economy benefits the whole of the Highland area, making it easier to attract even more new businesses and visitors.”
Over the next few months we will be gathering together as many views as we can and sharing them in this newspaper, our website and social media platforms.
These views will help form the basis for a business breakfast hosted by the Courier at Eden Court on May 26, which will bring together many of the city’s movers and shakers.
But we want everyone to be involved and need you to contribute to the discussion.
Tell us what you think about the city centre. What’s wrong with it? What would make it better? And, fast forward to 2020, what kind of city will Inverness be – how will it look and feel?
Please help us build a city centre we can all be proud of.
Get involved:
Write to The Editor, The Inverness Courier, Reinvent the City Centre 2017, New Century House, Stadium Road, Inverness, IV1 1FG. Telephone 01463 233 059 and ask for newsdesk. Or email newsdesk@spp-group.co.uk with the subject heading Reinvent the City Centre 2017. You can also join the debate on our website at www.inverness-courier.co.uk or via Twitter and Facebook.
