Plans to give a prominent eyesore building in Inverness a major makeover have been changed following public feedback.
New high level signs and lighting on the facade of the Inverness Museum and Gallery have been dropped from the proposed revamp after they proved unpopular.
And signs for the building will state “Museum & Gallery” rather than “IMAG”, as was originally envisaged.
The proposals, which were revealed by the Press and Journal in July, are a low-cost attempt to brighten up the building and the surrounding streets, to complement work to revamp Inverness Town House and efforts to turn Inverness Castle into a tourist magnet.
A planning application for the scheme was lodged by Highland Council this summer and included the pedestrianisation of Castle Wynd, with a series of metal “fins” installed that would be fitted with LEDs to create a variety of lighting effects.
A new lighting system was also proposed for the museum building, and would be capable of “synchronised colour change and pattern shift”, using sensors to light up as people pass, improving safety on Castle Wynd and Castle Steps.
Projectors would be installed capable of beaming large scale static images on to the elevations of the museum building on Castle Wynd and Bridge Street, with images potentially changing hourly or daily for an event such as Burns Night or Valentine’s Day.
The staircase leading to the car park behind the Town House would be fitted with a new handrail with integrated lighting, while repairs and painting would be carried out on Castle Wynd, Castle Steps and nearby buildings, including the public toilets.
Threesixty Architecture, which designed the makeover, has now lodged an updated supporting statement for the work, to be considered as part of the planning application.
It said: “Following public feedback the originally proposed high level signage and lighting on the building façade has been removed from the project.
“The wayfinding signage for the building will state ‘Museum & Gallery’ rather than ‘IMAG’.”
Outlining the “purpose and objectives” of the work, the statement said it was “one of the most important sites within the Inverness city centre”.
“The proposals put forward by the Highland Council, in collaboration with Threesixty Architecture and Lightfolio, seek to enhance the urban environment in the heart of Inverness and overcome the shortcomings of the access to Inverness Castle from Castle Wynd as well improving the access to the existing entrance to the Inverness Museum,” it added.
