Inverness businesswoman Denise Collins of Castle Gallery calls on Highland Council to help Castle Street
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A CITY businesswoman has called on Highland Council to give up its Inverness Town House car park to the public in an effort to rescue a trade slump in Castle Street.
Denise Collins, of the Castle Gallery art shop, has joined the traders deploring the Spaces for People traffic concept, saying it is hitting business.
Spaces for People is a Scottish Government funded supposedly temporary infrastructure programme to make it safer for people who choose to walk, cycle or wheel for essential trips and exercise during Covid-19 by supporting social distancing.
Ms Collins said Castle Street has become a no-go area thanks to ugly barriers and bollards which have been exacerbated by nearby construction work.
And people are no longer willing to drive to town because of the often snarled-up View Place/ Castle Terrace one-way system round Inverness Castle.
Ms Collins said: "I have never seen Castle Street in such a state.
"My business is down about 70 per cent due to a drop in footfall due partly to the Spaces work and partly due to Covid preventing overseas visitors coming.
"People are discouraged from driving to town because of the difficulty in driving all the way round the castle under the new one-way system."
She added: "I feel the council should take steps to encourage people by relinquishing their Town House car park to the public 24/7.
"It has been said often that we are all in this together fighting the Covid crisis, so the council should do something to help increase footfall not just for visitors but local people too, and to help Castle Street survive. I know a lot of traders on Castle Street agree."
Fellow Castle Street trader David Traill, of Grahams fields sports shop, said: "Castle Street looks like a crime scene. I have given up complaining as nothing gets changed."
Inverness BID manager Mike Smith said: "We support Castle Gallery’s view that the Bridge Street/Castle Street Spaces for People intervention is intrusive and not people friendly.
"The feedback we have from many local businesses is that a one-way system is a deterrent to their customers accessing the shops and hospitality outlets.
"And unfortunately any visitor who comes to Inverness city centre and looks up Castle Street from the High Street and is not immediately drawn to venture up the street to try the retail and hospitality outlets.
"BID would support the call for the interventions to be withdrawn and the roads reverting to two-way as soon as the Scottish Government withdraws the need for social spacing.
"Due to the inadequate public transport system in the Highlands, it must be recognised by the agencies that travel by car is essential and their needs should be provided for as a priority over the alternative options."
Both Edinburgh and Aberdeen are set to dump similar Spaces for People layouts.
Highland Council did not provide a comment on Mrs Collins car park suggestion but it was pointed out that online public surveys launched in May last year were supportive of the Spaces project.
Inverness Depute Provost Bet McAllister, who is also a councillor for Inverness Central, said: "It is an absolute nightmare at the moment and not very pretty looking.
"Perhaps the car park could operate a system like the small Tesco [in Tomnahurich Street] where you can park for free for two hours, but there is very little space at the moment with contractors parking there.
"I think we will go back to a two-way traffic system but perhaps not before autumn."
n What do you think? Email newsdesk@hnmedia.co.uk
