Why is the Ironworks still lying empty and unused more than 18 months after it was supposed to be knocked down and replaced?

The very words Academy Street can be enough to start an argument in Inverness.

Few people were without an opinion on Highland Council’s ultimately unsuccessful traffic plan for the city centre which ended in court.

There was much division on the proposal to stop cars driving from one end of the street to the other and the potential impact on businesses.

What did unite all sides of the argument was the need for something to change to make the route more welcoming for all users.

Music venue high among people’s priorities for city

There is similar consensus regarding a part of Academy Street that most people didn’t want to change.

A series of articles recently about existing and future plans for Inverness have provoked a familiar cry on social media.

Indeed, when we asked people what they wanted to see in the city centre the message was clear.

Fixing potholes would be nice. Cutting grass more regularly? Sure. More things for kids to do? Of course.

But, more than anything, the demand is for a new music venue.

It’s been that way since the Ironworks at 122B Academy Street closed its doors in February 2023.

That came six months after the council voted to approve an application from Bricks Capital to demolish the Ironworks and build a new hotel.

The redevelopment of the site is scheduled to be completed by 2025 in the council’s recently-updated Inverness Strategy.

But to date, nothing has happened, with no sign of a wrecking ball, never mind any new construction work.

Hunt for new Ironworks unsuccessful

Live music continues in the city, some of it organised by the Ironworks Venue whose name lives on despite its ‘home’ being shut.

Inverness is also blessed with many small live music venues, and holds larger gigs at Eden Court, the Ice Centre, Northern Meeting Park and Bught Park.

Even Caledonian Stadium has held concerts, although its most recent venture was notable for the wrong reasons.

But despite strenuous and ongoing efforts, the city has not been able to fill the 1,000 capacity gap left by the Ironworks.

Various places have been looked at and rejected for a variety of reasons.

The search inevitably has led back to the site which still lies empty and unused.

Many local people are less than enthused by the prospect of another city centre hotel, particularly when one opened in nearby Glebe Street shortly before the Ironworks closed.

Another is planned even closer in Rose Street, and a third is in the pipeline for Church Street.

‘Slap in the face’ for music lovers

Seeing the Ironworks intact but vacant, with no sign of its demolition approved more than two years ago, is a repeatedly-delivered slap in the face for music lovers, haunted by its now ghostly appearance.

It is a daily reminder of what they have missed out on in terms of acts who now bypass the city.

It is also an unused asset for the city centre and its businesses which are denied the economic impact the Ironworks provided.

The would-be developers have another 10 months to show some sort of intention under the terms of the planning permission.

Repeated attempts to contact Bricks to get an update have been unsuccessful.

It’s time for them to show their hand. Either let people know what’s happening or move aside and give the building back.

John Ross is an Inverness-based journalist with the Press and Journal.

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