I n v e r n e s s
BIDBULLETIN BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
January 2015
WHAT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE? “ONE YEAR ON REVIEW” OF THE COURIER’S RE-INVENT THE CITY CENTRE CAMPAIGN
Come along to debate with speakers Robert Taylor, Editor Inverness Courier, Cllr Drew Hendry, Leader Highland Council and Craig Duncan, Bid Chairman on progress being made in improving the city centre. We would encourage you to show your support for the Courier’s campaign for improving the City Centre which with their kind permission is reproduced overleaf. After brief opening statements by the speakers there will be a Q&A session for you to put forward your views on the City Centre, the progress being made and to challenge the panelists.
join us for this Bid Breakfast on Wednesday 4th FebRUARY AT Mercure Hotel complimentary breakfast at 7.45 for 8am - event finish at 9am Phone 01463 714550 or email bidmanager@inverness.uk.com to book your place.
Inverness BID is pleased to announce that the 2015 Snowman Rally taking place on Saturday 21st February will this year start in Inverness High Street. Celebrating its 60th anniversary the Rally organisers want to mark the occassion by returning to Inverness City Centre for the first time since 2007. Up to 130 cars are expected to start from the High Street with departures at one minute intervals from 9am onwards. For further information: http://www.snowmanrally.co.uk/SnowManRally/Home.aspx
Social Media Great Easter Egg Hunt - FREE EVENT Friday 3rd & Saturday 4th April Workshops The Great Easter Egg Hunt Entry points will again be BID have organized two Social Media Workshops FREE to staff from Inverness BID and Tourism BID businesses, • Monday 26th Jan - FULL • Tuesday 3rd Feb 2 - 4.30pm, Loch Ness Country House Hotel – SPACES AVAILABLE Topics will include: • Facebook • Pinterest • Twitter • Hootsuite • Tripadvisor To book contact Margaret on 01463 714550 or email margaret@inverness.uk.com
takes place in the city centre on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th April. Organised by BID with support from Eastgate the Hunt is now in its 6th year and is always popular with families enjoying the free day of fun!
on High Street (opposite the Town House) and the Eastgate Centre. Enjoy the loveable, lifesize Bears & Bunnies, Street Entertainers, Facepainting and Craft workshop - Put the dates in your diary!
Inverness Classic Vehicle Show - 9th May 2015
The 7th Inverness Classic Vehicle Show will take place on Saturday 9th May. The event is FREE to entrants and attracts vehicles from all eras which are displayed on High Street, Church Street, Inglis Street and Falcon Square. Last year over 110 vehicles took part creating a fantastic buzz throughout the city centre. Alongside the vehicles there will be musicians and street entertainers for families to enjoy. The Grande Finale is a procession of vehicles down High Street led by Norcon Pipe Band. Vehicle entry forms are available at www.invernessbid.co.uk
City Centre Floral Displays Floral Displays throughout the city centre are once again being planned by BID for the summer months – they are scheduled to be installed from mid June till October. The displays have been a major feature of the city centre since 1993 with BID taking over all the arrangements on our formation in 2008. With financial support from Inverness Common Good Fund, BID will be providing over 700 floral displays creating an attractive and welcoming city centre for both residents and visitors alike.
Inverness Courier “Reinventing Inverness City Centre”
A year into campaign, are we seeing signs of change? Just over year ago The Inverness Courier launched a major campaign to breathe new life into our city centre. The aim was simple — to spark debate, push for change, champion innovative ideas and start a conversation with the people who live, work and visit the city centre on what would make it better. From rents, rates and antisocial behaviour, to parking and competition from out-of-town developments, we explored the key issues and looked at the wider vision for the city centre. The work culminated in the creation of The Inverness Courier’s own Manifesto for Action earlier this year, a detailed action plan of what we as a city want to achieve in the short, medium and longer-term. Within a couple of weeks, Highland Council had responded, announcing it would be launching its own action plan to increase footfall in the city centre. Like our manifesto, it identified a number of priorities and work is now under way to implement them. But is change coming quickly enough? For the council, a lot of work is taking place behind the scenes to bring about improvements. It insists regenerating the city centre remains a major priority and that confidence is already growing, with more investment evident, particularly in Academy Street. But on the ground, city centre businesses are still struggling to make ends meets and for some, more progress is needed now. Here, we take a look back at our own manifesto and the priorities we continue to champion, assess how far things have come for the city centre and see what key people involved in its regeneration think about the progress to date.
A Manifesto for Action — key priorities 1) Appointment of a city centre supremo to take on overview of planning and development in the city centre, which has suffered from the absence of a long-term vision.
Highland Council’s Stuart Black was appointed head of a task force to co-ordinate the regeneration of the city centre. Picture: Callum Mackay. Image No. 025487
Progress: The council responded by appointing its director of development and infrastructure Stuart Black to the role. He was named head of a task force of senior council officials whose aim it is to co-ordinate the regeneration of the city centre. While many improvements are yet to be seen on the ground, Mr Black insists a lot is going on. “Already, that work is creating a climate of confidence and what is new is that we are now seeing investment in the city centre,” he said. “We are starting to see the return of activity and new development, which is positive and creates momentum.” 2) Relocation of the Scottish Court Service to allow
Inverness Castle to be transformed into a major new tourist attraction. Progress: The Inverness Courier launched its Open the Castle campaign as we believe the building’s use as a court is a wasted opportunity in a city centre bereft of attractions. What followed was a discussion about its future, with suggestions ranging from a new home for the city’s museum/art gallery and tourist information centre to a new Highland Clan and Heritage Centre. Boutique shops, luxury accommodation and a hotel were also among the ideas. Since then momentum has grown and the council is in discussions with the Scottish Court Service (SCS) and Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) — a body set up by the Scottish Government to support capital spending by public agencies — to find a new home for the sheriff and justice of the peace courts and fund redevelopment of the castle. The Inverness College UHI site in the Longman has already been identified as a potential location for a new court and talks are ongoing. Scottish tourism minister Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, is confident money can be found to relocate the courts if a suitable site can be found. He has pledged to do all he can to enable a move. A government-backed working group chaired by Mr Ewing and council leader Drew Hendry has also been set up to explore options for transforming the castle into a major tourist attraction. Ideas will be revealed as part of a feasibility study in May. Short-term measures to turn the North Tower
into a viewing platform and tourist shop have already been revealed and could be welcoming visitors by the end of next year. 3) Creation of a clearly defined self-guided walk in the city centre, similar to the Freedom Trail in Boston, USA, which helps visitors find the city’s historic sites by following a 2.5-mile red brick trail. Progress: None to date.
Highland Council leader Drew Hendry chairs a group to explore options for transforming Inverness Castle. Picture: SPP photographer
Businesses highlighted the difficulty visitors have finding things in the city centre and while a trail exists, it could be better publicised. The council says it is looking at new walking and cycling routes with Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership. A study to examine maps and city centre signage is also under way. 4) Relocation of the bus station to allow Farraline Park to be turned into a public square in the heart of Inverness. Progress: This idea won
support from many organisations including Inverness Civic Trust and residents’ action group Inverness Concern, but the council concluded that turning the park into a public square was off the agenda for now. It felt having the train and bus station in the middle of the city centre was an advantage and the lack of space meant finding a new location was difficult. Instead it is looking at changing the bus station layout to make it more attractive and improving the link between it, the multi-storey car park and railway station. The potential for European funding is being explored. “The area doesn’t give the ‘Welcome to the Highlands’ we want,” admitted Mr Black. Creating better walkways, signposting, removing ugly industrial-style fencing and opening up a small area in front of the library to make the area more pleasant are being explored. The council is also keen to see some buses moved off Academy Street. It is now in discussions with Inverness Properties, which owns land at Rose Street, about the idea of creating another exit from the bus station via its site. 5) Redevelopment of the Victorian Market to create an attraction in the city centre. Progress: None to date. The council acknowledges the Victorian Market is a “jewel in
parking for two hours; making parking free in the city centre for the first hour including at the council-owned Rose Street multi-storey car park and Inverness Cathedral; moving the bus stops out of Queensgate to create more on-street parking; and opening up the Town House car park to the public seven days a week.
The council is in discussions to find a new home for the sheriff and justice of the peace courts which would free up the castle to become a city centre attraction. Picture: SPP photographer
8) City centre rates relief to make opening and running a business more viable and to encourage new businesses to move in. Progress: The Scottish Government has expanded business rates relief as part of its Town Centre Action Plan, published one year ago, meaning more businesses are now eligible for discounts. It also intends to create new powers through the Community Empowerment Bill, which will allow local authorities to create their own business rate relief schemes, giving them the flexibility to reduce rates for local businesses in response to local circumstances. This could be done through the creation of a Town Centre Investment Zone, something local business groups are keen to see pursued and which the council has previously said it would be interested in exploring. The rates a business pays
Inverness Castle for tourist use is being explored, while the council has set up a working group to identify sites and funding options for a new cultural centre, incorporating the existing museum, art gallery and library. The Inverness College UHI building at Midmills, Crown, is now for sale on the open market and has been identified by the council among possible locations for such an attraction. Meanwhile, discussions are at an early stage regarding the creation of a multimillion pound science themed centre and visitor attraction in the city centre to complement a new Highland Science Skills Academy due to be built at the new Inverness Campus. We identified the long vacant Glebe Street site as an ideal location for a new attraction. However, owner Tulloch Homes said there had been no commercial interest in the former swimming baths site and has unveiled plans for 60 riverside apartments. 10) Turning Academy Street into a pleasant, more attractive thoroughfare, encouraging people to walk down the street and into The Old Town. Progress: A vision for Academy Street propelled by Inverness architect Neil
the crown” but it is not working particularly well. It insists its future is on the agenda, but no plans have been revealed yet although it continues to invest in the building, recently repainting it. In the meantime, businesses, which are facing rent hikes, are growing increasingly frustrated at what they say is a lack of a co-ordinated and strategic approach to revive the market’s fortunes. Some say a proper action plan and better marketing is needed, while others would like to see a full-time manager with retail experience employed to lead its revival. We advocated creating space for a permanent farmers’ or antiques and craft market, with traders booking spaces on a weekly basis, more popup shops, where traders book a unit for a couple of days or weeks at a time, and space for local artists and performers at the weekends. 6) Pedestrianisation of Union Street to create a natural extension of the Victorian Market, regenerating the street containing the most vacant properties in the city centre. Progress: None to date. We continue to champion this idea. Covering the street with a glass canopy would create an allweather European-style space where attractions in keeping with the theme of the market could be encouraged. It could become a space for performers and regular street sellers, artists and crafts people, or a farmers’
Highland Council wants to regenerate the northern end of Academy Street and would like to see an art gallery/studio created. Picture: Andrew Smith
market. 7) Make parking more convenient to encourage people to come into the city centre. Progress: None to date. The council is exploring park and ride opportunities and has decided to make coach parking for pick-up and drop-off permanent at Ardross Street, near Inverness Cathedral. We suggested extending on-street
are determined by the rateable value of a property — a figure based on rental values — and a decision to delay rates revaluation until 2017 continues to impact on struggling businesses. 9) Creating a major new visitor attraction in Inverness. Progress: We identified an urgent need to create an attraction to encourage people into the city centre. Freeing up
Sutherland won our full support. He advocated the idea of shared surfaces at existing junctions — where the pavement stretches across the road, vehicles have to slow down and pedestrians have equal priority — more street parking, tree planting, wider pavements and new and revamped public areas, including at Station Square and Falcon Square. For the council, Academy
The idea of opening up an area at the front of the library is being explored. Picture: SPP photographer
Street is a priority. After being successful in the first stage of its bid for £1.67 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, it has commissioned consultants to create a Townscape Heritage Action Plan for the area, required as part of the second stage of the application. It is currently looking at what can be done to improve Academy Street including widening pavements and better lighting. A traffic study is under way as the council is keen to see a better balance between pedestrians and vehicles. It would like to see some buses moved off the street. Creating a proper civic square in front of Inverness Railway Station is also being explored as part of this action plan, which will be completed in the new year. The council will make its second stage submission to the Heritage Lottery Fund in March and hopes to secure the funding and be in a position to start work on the street in the summer. Inverness City Heritage Trust is helping to fund the preservation of historic buildings on the street. It has already invested £150,000 in
58–64 Academy Street, where stonework, guttering and roof repairs are ongoing. Assistance is also likely to be provided to Cairngorm Brewery to transform the former AI Welders building, currently home to Deeno’s Sports Bar, into a flagship pub with business start-ups above. Investment by the Aviemorebased business, coupled with the council’s plans, has created new confidence and interest in Academy Street in particular. Since the campaign launched, The Phoenix pub has been bought and revamped by Castle Tavern owner George Maclean, Star Pubs has pledged to invest £150,000 in Blackfriars pub, while Inverness musician Bruce MacGregor has announced plans to create a MacGregor’s Bar specialising in Scottish craft beer and spirits in the family-owned building opposite The Ironworks. Around £1 million has been invested in a new Pentahotel, which took over the Ramada Encore earlier this year, while Ballantyne House, currently home to offices, could be converted into a hotel if plans are approved by the council. William Gray Construction has demolished 92–94 Academy Street to create affordable housing for Highland Housing Alliance and the council, as well as two shop units, while several new businesses have moved into the street including Dress 2 Impress, which relocated from Castle Street, and home interiors company Ponden Home, which moved from Telford Street. Meanwhile, the council is speaking to property owners and has funding through the Empty Homes Initiative to help bring vacant upper floors back into use as homes, while work is ongoing to identify
Other city centre projects in the pipeline Inverness Railway Station/Falcon Square: A meeting to discuss improvements to the station is planned following a pledge by Dutch rail operator Abellio, which will take on the ScotRail franchise from April, to invest in its refurbishment with a new entrance, concourse and shopping area. The local authority is keen to see a better “welcome” to Inverness created, with improved links to the bus station and Falcon Square, which is due to be revamped as a public plaza as part of plans to extend the Eastgate Shopping Centre with a multiplex cinema and restaurants. A proposal for Falcon Square is still being put together by the centre owners and is likely to include more seating, public use and greenery. The council is keen to explore the possibility of creating a closer link between the station and shopping centre, something more akin to Union Square, Aberdeen, where the two are connected. The council has held discussions with Network Rail and intends to apply to the Scottish Stations Fund next year. River Ness: Ongoing flood defence work will enhance the waterfront of the River Ness, creating more pleasant walkways. Various public arts projects are also planned including River Connections, where art will be carved into the stonework of the flood-defence wall and seating; The Gathering Place, an area where people can enjoy the views of the River Ness; Rest Spaces, a series of relaxation spots along the river; The Sculptural Destination, an interactive work to attract people; and The Trail, a route through Ness Islands to the mouth of the River Ness. The aim is to have all the artwork in place and the trail complete by March 2016.
The Nessie tree in Ness Islands could feature in The Trail. Picture: Gary Anthony
BID Task Team
The BID Task Team were on duty daily in the 7 weeks up to Christmas and New Year. Their high visibility patrols dealt with more than 140 incidents covering criminal activity, anti-social behaviour and preventative actions as well as assisting the public. The majority of these were reported via Shop Safe Radio system or Task Team pro-active patrols. Our BID Task Team and allied Taxi Marshals were part of Operation Respect Festive campaign and jointly funded by BID and the Common Good Fund. Police Scotland’s Inverness Community Beats Sergeant, Gwen Ross commented “The Task Team is an integral part of the successful partnership working in the city centre working to reduce street disorder, anti social behaviour and other incidents. They have invaluable local knowledge which they use to good advantage.”
National Best Bar None Awards 2015
Following the recent Inverness BBN Awards seven local licensed premises will be representing Inverness at the National Awards on Thursday 26th March at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh. Going forward are: INDEPENDENT PUB CATEGORY THE GELLIONS INDEPENDENT BAR CATEGORY JOHNNY FOXES AND THE DEN CLUB CATEGORY G’s NIGHT CLUB PUB CATEGORY THE KINGS HIGHWAY BAR CATEGORY THE AUCTIONEERS HOTEL BAR ARTS BAR, The Mercure Hotel HEART OF THE COMMUNITY BLACKSMITHS, Culloden
BID Annual General Meeting
The Gellions Rory Munro & Kelly Franks receive their award from Provost Alex Graham & BID Chair Craig Duncan
At the recent BID Annual General Meeting Lorraine Christie, the North of Scotland Regional Operations Manager of the Co-Op was elected to join the Board of Inverness BID. BID Chairman Craig Duncan said “We are delighted that Lorraine has joined the board. She has vast retail experience and with their shop in Church Street understands the dynamics of trading in Inverness city centre.” Debenhams General Manager, Nick Harvey stood down at the AGM having recently announced his early retirement after 35 years with the company. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity as a BID Director for the past 4 years to have contributed to improving the City Centre economy. BID is a valuable organization – not only do the directors take it seriously but it is an organization which is treated seriously by the other CIty Centre stakeholders.” At the subsequent Director’s meeting Craig Duncan was re-elected as BID Chairman and Jackie Cuddy as Vice Chair.