Active and Sustainable Travel

Academy Street - Regeneration Project

We are continuing work to deliver a major regeneration of Academy Street to make it a safer, more welcoming place to spend time, increase footfall to the city centre and make it more competitive and successful as a commercial centre. This means rethinking who the priority users of this street and shifting focus from private vehicles to prioritising walking and wheeling.

The Project does not mean complete pedestrianisation but looks to reduce overall traffic volumes. The quantity of parking, loading bays and taxi ranks will remain the same.

The proposal

Survey data indicates that up to 75% of motorised traffic can use Academy Street as a through route across the city. This means if we redesign the street to discourage through-traffic, volumes can be significantly reduced and the street can be better used by people walking, wheeling and cycling, which is fundamental to supporting the vibrancy and vitality of Academy Street. Bus lanes that can be used by taxis and bicycles provide a simple and effective way to achieve this change, meaning all of the more sustainable modes are prioritised which aligns to the national and local policy approach to modernising the network. Trunk and distributor roads around the city are available to support people to travel by car around the city, rather than through it. It is therefore considered a reasonable compromise that people driving may sometimes have to make slightly longer trips in the interests of regenerating the city centre. Over 3,000 car parking spaces are available within 5 minutes of Academy Street, and this will not change with the proposed scheme.

Current status

The Active Travel Team is currently working on the detailed design of Academy Street including a range of Stakeholder engagements across 2023.

Next steps

Officers will finalise the design and present it to the August meeting of the City of Inverness Area Committee. If Members agree to progress the design Officers will undertake a consultation on the required Road Traffic Regulation Order as well as making a bid to the next available funding round to construct the scheme.

Further information

The team is very keen to ensure all questions are answered, so please view the consultation website for further information on the proposal and its milestones. Larger versions of maps and images are also available from the site.

View the Academy Street Proposals

Get in touch

Please use our email address to get in touch, we would be happy to talk to anyone with an interest in the project.