Public reacts to launch of the Inverness City Alliance over 'blinkered' Academy Street plans
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The announcement by Cru Holdings businessman Scott Murray that he was going to set up the Inverness City Alliance to represent local voices over planning decisions has sparked a passionate online discussion.
Frustration with Highland Council “blinkered” vision for Academy Street has boiled over prompting a leading local businessman to set-up a new association dedicated to making local voices heard.
A passionate opponent of the plans to slash 75 per cent of the traffic from Academy Street that have divided the city, Mr Murray’s disappointment that neither city councillors nor officials heeded traders warnings led to the formation of the alliance.
Mr Murray said: “That ultimately any changes are putting our livelihoods and our homes at risk and for the council to stand up and say we wouldn’t put their homes on the line for this proposal but expect us to do that to me again shows how little regard they hold for it so that makes me feel pretty disrespected.”
Here is what readers have been responding to – the launch of the Inverness City Alliance because “if they [Highland Council] are not going to be our voice then we have to find our own one.”
So what have the public been saying? There are both those who support the changes to Academy Street and those who say they feel like Mr Murray that something needs to be done but not as currently outlined.
Kathy Black says businesses need footfall and therefore the cars should go.
"I can’t understand the argument against pedestrianising leading to a loss of business…businesses rely on footfall…the clues are there. Is this really just an argument to continue to allow cars and other vehicles access to the middle of town for no other reason than it saves a few minutes. It is an eyesore of a street and as the first view that tourists / visitors see when they step out of the railway station an upgrade is long overdue. And for residents too."
Ann Lynn does not think changes are needed except to ditch the bollards that line both sides of the street.
"Keep Academy Street as is, there's just too many lights and too many useless bollards, so traffic 'sits' for long, so get rid of / improve this situation. For a small place there already is enough of it pedestrianised.
"The small businesses that are there will suffer more. Upgrading and encouraging more small businesses through incentives is needed."
Gavin Stevenson underlines that 75 per cent of businesses surveyed are against the plans.
"I think investment in the city centre is needed. But over 5000 people signed a petition to remove the bollards and restore free flow of traffic to Academy street. And 75% of local small businesses surveyed by BID are against this scheme.
"So clearly the current plans are not universally popular.
"Everyone wants to see improvements to the city centre but the very real concerns of so many people and businesses need to be addressed and all stakeholders must be more involved in the process at design stage if we are to achieve widespread support."
Alec Kidd welcomed the news from Scott Murray for taking on the council.
"Well done to them the proposed plans are not popular or necessary, if the council did meaningful consultation, this situation would not have arose.
"The bollards are hideous, they should have been removed with the rest of the spaces for people crap. The pavements can be widened where needed and still leave room for traffic.
"The pollution and fumes in the street were caused by old heaps of buses which are largely gone now."
Cameron Fraser argued that as a blue badge holder accessing the city centre was difficult without pedestrianisation.
"Nobody drives into academy street and parks. You can’t get parked. I use a Blue badge and even I can’t get parked most of the time.
"Or if I do the gestapo wardens are after me. Better to be like every other normal city and have a pedestrianised city centre"
Kim Corbett added that 'the council doesn’t really want to engage with the public.'
"That’s the problem. The council doesn’t really want to engage with the public. They want to make the decisions without us. Consultations are nothing more than tick box exercises.
"Can the council possibly explain what is positive about taking away the only main access street in the city centre and increase the level of traffic and pollution in a residential area instead?
"It smacks of being more like gentrification for the tourists rather than a genuine HC campaign to reduce traffic and pollution across the whole region."
