Joint visions can transform city as Drew Hendry, the MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, welcomes Highland Council's vision for transforming the city centre
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Joint visions for the future of Inverness provide a great starting point for real transformation, the city’s MP has said.
Drew Hendry spoke out after city councillors gave unanimous backing to progressing a Highland Council vision for transforming the city centre.
As the Courier previously reported, the 110-page draft Inverness city centre management plan offers a detailed and broad range of proposed development to make Inverness a more attractive and greener place where locals and tourists alike can “‘comfortably live, work and visit”.
The document is so important that we will deliver comprehensive coverage of its contents in our new Keeping Focus on the Vision campaign.
Included in the council’s vision is the possibility of Farraline Park, currently home to the city bus station, becoming a new green space and further development of Baron Taylor’s Street/Bank Lane to become a more attractive link between the retail centre and the river.
It was endorsed by councillors just weeks after the City Futures Group, led by Mr Hendry, published its own One City, One Vision discussion document containing wide-ranging and similarly transformative proposals looking ahead to 2035, and relating to Inverness as a whole rather than simply the centre.
Mr Hendry said: “These plans developed by the council are very welcome.
“I was pleased to see so many aspects of this new report complement the One City, One Vision launched by the City Futures Group.
“It shows us that we are all keen to see Inverness realise its potential.
“Whatever the approach, there needs to be an overarching agreement about the kind of city we want to become and where we are going.
“This will require a plan that encompasses the entire city, not just the city centre – as we recommended in the One City, One Vision report.
“Equally, we need to understand what projects are already under way and planned for in terms of infrastructure, as detailed in this Highland Council paper.
“While it is clear there is a lot of work for us all to do, this is a great starting point for us.
“We now have a serious discussion about our future under way. We must now capitalise on the new hope and momentum generated to create an exciting future for our citizens and visitors.
“I look forward to working with the Highland Council, other organisations, the business community and the people living and working here to do just that.”
City centre councillor Janet Campbell also welcomed the news that the council plan will now go out for further consultation, with the development of an integrated engagement plan in collaboration with Inverness Chamber of Commerce and Inverness Business Improvement District (BID).
“It’s extremely important that what we are going to do going forward should have the endorsement of the people of Inverness,” she said.
“They should have the opportunity to come up with their own responses and consider all of the proposals.”
The Federation of Small Businesses’ Highlands and Islands development manager David Richardson said: “Highland Council has to be congratulated for coming up with this new, transformational plan.
“However, its ambition of creating a healthier, safer and greener Highland capital is largely dependent on the strength of its economy, and all three of its core customer groups – locals, people from across the Highlands and Moray, and visitors – must be catered to if it is to really thrive.
“This requires a consumer-driven plan and full, continuing consultation with the business community.”
Inverness BID manager Mike Smith said: “We welcome the commitment that there will be the opportunity for all stakeholders including the city centre businesses to input to the draft Inverness Vision.”
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