YOUR VIEWS: Pause new Inverness housing so infrastructure can keep up!
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Residents of Inverness are right to be hugely concerned and alarmed at the scale and pace of new housing projects in Inverness.
In the face of a growing and increasingly urban Scottish population, Inverness’s public infrastructure is not keeping up pace with the number of houses being built or proposed.
Whilst new builds provide money to improve and expand public infrastructure, this money raised is clearly not being used as originally intended.
New and expanded school projects have recently been scrapped, and there are no definitive answers to how to increase Raigmore Hospital’s present capacity or renovate it.
This adds to the general already pervasive gloom about public infrastructure here. I dare not write again about the lack of decent public transport and cycling infrastructure.
It is clear that Scottish public finances are in a parlous state with high debt and inflation. Yet, there needs to be now a re-assessment of city expansion.
If the public purse cannot afford new infrastructure to support new housing, then the agreements for new housing should be paused until a more acceptable and definitive solution is found.
For how is Inverness to realistically and properly function in a future of sustained population growth without adequate public investment?
James Rorison, Inverness
Were traffic woes a sign of things to come?
Thank you for printing my recent letter about the proposal from Highland Council to block Academy Street as a through route for cars. I have been cheered to have several readers thank me for pointing out the problems that blocking off such an important artery would cause.
For a few days from Saturday, September 30, the road from Millburn roundabout into the Longman was closed due to emergency water main repair work. The closure of this relatively minor route added significant extra traffic, and delays, on the route though Millburn Road and Academy Street. If Academy Street was cut off, the disruption and delays through the Longman and through the Crown would be far worse than we saw then.
Donald M MacKenzie, Inverness
Investment in pathway is waste of money
This is an absolute and shameful waste of money. The existing cycle/pathway is very rarely used by cyclists or pedestrians as it goes nowhere.
It is mainly ignored by cyclists who still prefer to use the road.
The NC500 traffic consists of very few cyclists compared with other traffic and on reaching the end of the proposed new section of pathway they are highly unlikely to then leave the main road and go round by Cabrich.
Most vehicle users in the area are essential users – not everyone is able to cycle, wheel, walk etc and the addition of this pathway is highly unlikely to make any difference to the use of vehicles in the local area.
Perhaps a survey of the use of the existing pathway will confirm the new proposal to be an absolute waste of time and money which would be much better spent elsewhere.
Mairi Smith, Beauly
Advice on taking a motorhome abroad
In response to Spanish breakdown nightmare for Inverness family after motorhome mess left them ‘thousands out of pocket’ (Courier, September 17).
Having driven abroad in our motorhome many times we wouldn’t leave the UK without specialised motorhome breakdown cover as offered by the likes of the Caravan & Motorhome Club.
They would have offered to cover the total cost of towing to the nearest garage and up to £500 towards repairs.
They also pay up to £150 per person per day for accommodation. It’s not cheap cover but so worth it for peace of mind.
Another tip is to make sure you carry a spare wheel, many new models don’t come with one. Otherwise, if you have a burst tyre you are on your own, even with breakdown cover.
If you buy cover make sure you are crystal clear on which countries you can visit. Many exclude the likes of Morocco, Croatia and Albania.
David Dowling, Inverness
A9 dualling project will not be over soon
As much as this next stage [committee inquiry into the failure of the A9 dualling programme] is important it’s not getting the road dualled.
Fergus Ewing has been, and still is, very vocal regarding the A9 but let’s be honest, nothing will happen. The road will not be completed any time soon.
C Cade, Invergordon
