Inverness traders lose confidence in Highland Council as it is acting 'a wee bit like a dictatorship' over Academy Street plans
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Some of the most respected traders in Inverness say they have lost confidence in Highland Council as it is acting “a wee bit like a dictatorship” over plans to revamp Academy Street at a cost of £8.3 million.
Chief among their concerns was that they had been promised traffic access would be maintained for central Inverness only for a late change to see that removed and the near opposite
They trace their dissatisfaction back to a consultation on revamping the central artery when they were given assurances that traffic would still get access only for officers to produce an 11th hour alternative that was approved – but not by traders.
The local authority wants £800,000 to redesign the street – which some say was overpaying – from the Places for Everyone scheme that is administered by cycling body Sustrans and £7.5 million to construct it from the Scottish Government initiative.
That means widening pavements and installing more crossings while cutting traffic from 9500 movements a day to just 2500, delivery and emergency vehicles and public transport will retain access.
The managing director of Cru Holdings Scott Murray said: “I think it's about more than just these proposals. I think city centre businesses and the peripheries of the centre are probably just sick and tired now, of not being given a voice.
“We are stakeholders, we pay business rates, we employ local people. We put a lot of money back into the local economy but when it comes to making a decision that affects that we're not consulted with in a proper manner.
“I think now it's the straw that broke the camel's back. They're making proposals that are going to shape the economic future of this city for generations and that is not going to be in a positive way and they haven't had the decency or the forethought to actually engage with the people that it affects.”
Willie Gray, Ark Estates said the economic impact of the plans could be severe: “Where I see that there's going to be an issue initially is that this is going to create uncertainty and uncertainty means that confidence will go and nobody's going to invest in the city centre if they're not confident of what's going to happen.
“Coupled with that we're going to go through a period when there's a feasibility study going to go ahead however long that will take. But then there's also a construction phase to go through, which could be two years of upheaval on Academy Street, which will impact everything and will affect all sorts of businesses.
“So very conservatively you could be looking at a three or four year period which puts a kind of moratorium on investment from businesses coming into the city centre because folk are going to be nervous and if they're nervous, they're not going to risk their money.”
Fraser Campbell, MD of Cobbs Group did not mince his words: “For me it is a wee bit like a dictatorship – we've just all got to button down and we've just to put up with it, they don't actually consult with us as business people in the are.
“That is sad because we've got a lot of input that we could actually make things a lot better if they're able to work alongside us. We have absolutely been ignored, they don’t listen to us one bit. “
Willie Cameron, Loch Ness Marketing and Cobbs Group
Very, very similar issues as far as the council generally is concerned both the Highland Council and the local committee that operates in the city of Inverness.
I think they have sort of lambasted their way through the whole Academy Street proposals without real consultation with the businesses that are here and the other businesses that are going to be affected by what's happening in the centre of Inverness.
I also think that with the way that everything has gone post-pandemic there should be more liaison with the private sector than there is at the present time and I think this would both help their budget controls and what could be what could be achieved for what is really the capital of the Highlands.
We're really out on the cusp of greatness as far as the whole of the Highlands of Scotland tourism and otherwise is concerned. I don't think they realise the talent that is here as far as the whole of the private sector and the people that are running businesses
A Highland Council spokesman said: “At the November 2022 meeting of the City of Inverness Area Committee, Highland Council Members agreed for Officers to proceed with a design of Academy Street that maximises benefits for people walking, wheeling and cycling and minimises the negative impacts of motorised vehicles by restricting access to those vehicles that need to be there.
“Officers are finalising designs and will undertake engagement and statutory consultation through the Traffic Regulation Order process in the coming months.
“Whilst concerns from local business owners are noted, it is important to clarify that pedestrianisation of Academy Street is not being promoted by the council. It also important to highlight that the main aim of the project is to reduce through-traffic, which is an aim that was supported by the businesses that responded to the recent public consultation.
“It is considered that the project will transform Academy Street into a welcoming, attractive place where people will want to dwell, contributing to the vibrancy and vitality of the city centre, which are key aims of the Inverness Strategy and Inverness One City, One Vision document.”
