Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Council man appeals to businesses to help regenerate Inverness

Stuart Black
Stuart Black

The man leading a taskforce to regenerate Inverness city centre says the involvement of private businesses is the key to success.

Stuart Black, the Highland Council’s director of planning and development, urged retailers and bar owners to get involved in the myriad schemes the group is pursuing.

The taskforce was set up in April to co-ordinate the regeneration of the city centre.

Mr Black said: “The projects we are working on are ones I think are significant for the city centre. We want a city centre we can be proud of, one that is attractive to local people and visitors.

“That is really important.”

Mr Black was born in Inverness and has worked for the local authority since 2008, having previously held top positions at Highlands and Island Enterprise.

And he is enthusiastic about the city, citing the River Ness as a favourite place.

He said: “The river is such a huge natural asset for us. It has such a stunning view. You can be in the middle of the city but you’ve got people fishing for salmon and can see Ben Wyvis.

“It does have a special quality about it.”

And he defended the council against charges it has spent too long talking about the future of Inverness.

He added: “I think the council is investing positively in the future of the city centre and I hope that will encourage confidence from the private sector.”

One initiative which will soon bear fruit is the opening of the north tower at Inverness Castle.

A viewing platform is proposed for the upper floors of the building, allowing tourists to enjoy spectacular vistas of the city.

Mr Black said it was hoped to open the castle in time for Easter next year, although contractors have not yet been appointed.

He added: “It has been called one of the finest views in Britain.”

In the long term, there are proposals for the Scottish Courts Service to leave the castle, which could become the centre of a new cultural quarter for the city, with a museum, gallery and library on the cards.

Until that happens – the courts may not move until at least 2018 – the facade of Inverness Museum and Art Gallery will be revamped.

But Mr Black says that there are other ways of attracting tourists to the city, including extending shop opening hours into the evenings when many Europeans are returning from day trips.

As well as attracting more people to live in the city, Mr Black want to bring more office workers into the area and create “incubator units” for fledgling businesses.

He says that the recent announcement of a wifi project for Inverness, under the City Region Deal, would boost the scheme.

And he believes the newly-announced funding for Academy Street will play a major role in the area’s regeneration.

But he said one of the main stumbling blocks to some of the development in Academy Street was the large number of property owners.

He said;| “Some things we have control over, some we don’t. We are dependent on developers coming forward with plans for student accommodation.

“But there is no doubt that because the campus is now open, there is a real buzz.”

More improvements are planned at the Victorian Market, long regarded as a “jewel in the crown” of Inverness.

Mr Black said the entrances would be made brighter to create a more welcoming feel and improve the main entrance on Academy Street.

He also wants to encourage city living, welcoming the idea of more student flats in the heart of Inverness.

Construction of one block has already started in Rose Street, although plans for more huge apartment buildings were rejected by councillors.

Mr Black said: “We can set the policies and we can share the vision but ultimately the private sector or university has to deliver. There are funding challenges for property owners.

“But we are confident that we will get accommodation, particularly because the university is high quality. It will change the perception of the city. People will say that the university has arrived in Inverness.

“There is a sense of presence and people will start thinking ‘yes I would like to study there’.

“I think students want to live in the city centre – that’s where the facilities are, where the nightlife is.

“I think the students will come to the city centre to enjoy the pubs and restaurants.

“As Inverness develops a more university feel, more students will come and the city centre will benefit.”

While some people have been critical of the amount of scaffolding in the city centre, Mr Black claims it is a sign of renewal.

The Town House has been shrouded in a cage of scaffold as part of its £4.2million restoration – although unusually the council has hidden the metalwork under a specially-made curtain.

Mr Black said: “We get people saying there is too much scaffolding in the city centre. But on the other hand, if it was demolition and things weren’t happening, that is not a good sign.

“Cranes in the city centre are a sign of redevelopment and renewal, though there is some scaffolding that we would like to see taken away.”