A high street should have something for everyone.
Businesses on Dingwall High Street are fighting to attract both locals and North Coast 500 tourists into the town centre.
What improvements have locals suggested to help put it on the map?
General appearance
Locals would like to see the inclusivity and appearance of the high street tidied up.
Owner of Alchemist Gallery, Hazel Gordon said: “I would very much like it to have better pavements.
“They are really uneven and I think it’s noticeable for people with less mobility.
“People with power assisted wheelchairs have said they’ve found the pavements really difficult.”
Andrew Downie, who runs Sports & Model, said: “A lot of the gutters and buildings need looked at.
“You’ll notice a lot of the gutters are full of trees, bushes, plants and so on.
“It’s not easy, especially with a lot of the seagulls we’ve got all around. They take stuff up and drop it down into the gutters.”
Vacant lots
Visitors to Dingwall’s High Street have noted the rise in empty shops over the past few years.
Local Ken Gordon said: “Unless a neighbour brings me in, I wouldn’t do it again from choice.
“The presence of charity shops means that all the other shops have packed up.”
Owner of Poster World, Robert Macleod said: “We had the Edinburgh Woollen Mill, M&Co and the Original Factory Shop.
“Ever since they’ve closed down the town has just gone to a ghost town.”
Mr Macleod said he has plans to take over one of the empty lots on the High Street and create a new Viking-themed business for the town. He wants to bring the “culture and tourism” back to Dingwall.
“Dingwall does need something. There are too many shops closing down.”
Tourist attractions
Locals want NC500 and other tourism to stop and visit Dingwall High Street rather than simply passing through the town.
Andrew Downie said: “Dingwall itself doesn’t have an actual focal point to bring people in.”
David Duguid, who runs Picaresque Books & Galerie Fantoosh, said: “Something is needed to get more people into the town.”
He suggested utilising Dingwall’s Viking heritage or hydroelectric schemes in appealing to visitors, a view which was supported by others in the town.
Parking on Dingwall High Street
Locals have raised the issue of cars blocking the pavements on the High Street.
Local Ian Stutter said: “You’re not far from the supermarket so there’s plenty of parking.
“There’s no need for people to park along here.”
Food franchises
Locals wanted to see an improvement to food availability on the High Street.
Owner of Fone Fitness, Ali Kandhro said: “The weekends are very quiet here because those who have families and kids prefer to go to Inverness because there is a food franchise there.
“For small businesses it will benefit if there was food branches like McDonald’s.
“It will encourage people to stay on weekends.”
He added his shop has had to close on Sundays because “there is literally no one on the high street”.
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