Inverness regeneration proposals backed by City members

Members of the City of Inverness Area Committee have embraced regeneration activity and agreed to contribute to proposals for future work on development briefs for regeneration sites in Inverness.

Leader of the City of Inverness Area Committee, Councillor Ian Brown welcomed a progress report by the Council’s Planning and Development Service, he said: “The specific focus on key areas within Inverness identified for regeneration is vital for the overall development of the city. We will work with our partners, the community and the private sector to support the production of development briefs for the Muirtown and South Kessock; and the Inshes and Raigmore areas of Inverness during 2014.”

Joint working with Scottish Canals has already enabled the Council to secure match funding from the Scottish Government’s charrette mainstreaming programme to enable a “Design for Change” event to help produce a development Brief for the Muirtown and South Kessock area. A similar event will be carried out in the Inshes and Raigmore area.

These events will involve significant public engagement, supported by specialist knowledge, to find solutions to the challenges faced by these areas and realise the opportunities available.

For the Muirtown and South Kessock area the council will be looking at opportunities for:

The council will look at opportunities for Inshes and Raigmore including:

Future reports will be brought back to the city committee providing updates on the development briefs.

Members were also informed that a city centre regeneration report detailed a number of new developments arising from the Scottish Cities Alliance and the Scottish Government’s recent published Town Centre Action Plan.

Included in the report were a wide number of key projects both ongoing and in the concept stages that will benefit the regeneration and sustainable growth of the city centre, such as:

Leader Brown added: “This excellent work is delivering the Council’s Programme commitment to support the development of urban centres and specifically to work with the Scottish Government to ensure that Inverness and the wider region benefits from the ‘Seven Cities Strategy’.”

Members welcomed the regeneration activity within the City Centre and new developments coming from the Scottish Cities Alliance and the Scottish Government’s recently published Town Centre Action Plan; and agreed that the Council will engage with the Scottish Government on the implementation of actions relevant to the City of Inverness and Area in the Town Centre Action Plan.