Final phase of Inshes Park completed
The third and final phase of the Inshes District Park main path infrastructure has recently been completed and is now open to the public.
The £358K contract which forms part of the third phase of development at Inshes District Park was awarded to Pat Munro Ltd of Alness and work began on site in April this year. This contract has seen the construction of a surfaced footpath linking the pedestrian bridge on Inshes Road with Elmwood Avenue in Milton of Leys.
The path provides an attractive and more protected off-road route for both cyclists and pedestrians and provides the final link in the active travel and recreational route between Sir Walter Scott Drive and Milton of Leys. A planting and landscaping contract for Phase 2 and 3 will follow on from these works as funding becomes available.
Inshes Park is funded through developer contributions collected over the past number of years from adjacent housing developments. Sustrans Scotland have provided a £277K grant towards Phase 3 as part of their ‘Places for Everyone Programme’.
The programme aims to create safe, attractive, healthier places by increasing the number of trips made by walking, cycling and wheeling for everyday journeys. The scheme is funded by the Scottish Government through Transport Scotland and is administered by Sustrans.
Sustrans Scotland have also previously contributed £274K through their Community Links Programme for the earlier Phase 2 section of path, linking Stevenson Road with Inshes Road.
Sjoerd Tel, Infrastructure Coordinator for Sustrans Scotland said, “We have been pleased to be able to fund the final phase of the traffic-free route between Inshes Park and Milton of Leys through our Places for Everyone scheme. The new space for walking, wheeling and cycling will make it easier for people to travel between communities, as well as to access local bus services and amenities. Spending time in green space can be good for people’s health and the safer crossing at Inshes Road will enable more people to do that here.”
The Ward Members, Councillors Carolyn Caddick, Ken Gowans, Andrew Jarvie and Duncan Macpherson are all delighted to see the final phase of the park is already proving popular with families and people of all ages and abilities, from cyclists, dog walkers, joggers, wheelchair users, parents with prams and pushchairs, to runners
They said: “It’s great to see this final phase opened, each of the phases provides a different user experience. Inshes Park is not only a fantastic amenity for everyone in Inverness South, but it has also become a destination park for those from well beyond and for people of all ages and abilities. Our appreciation goes to the team at Highland Council who have worked hard to deliver all of the phases and to those in the community who have supported the project. Given the huge amount of housing development in east of Inverness, we are crying out for more sports and leisure facilities in the area in future.”
Thomas Prag, Chair of Inshes Community Association said: “We should thank the councillors and officers who had the foresight to set aside this land as a new park 20 years ago! I took a look recently and the path is already in regular use with commuters, buggy pushers, joggers and dog walkers– it must be the biggest and most varied park in the city with big views and plenty of room to breathe. And there’s more to come as the park provides opportunities for many community led projects such as the recently installed picnic tables and the proposed wheel park.”
