Councillors to consider renewed Inverness City Vision (06/08/10)

A report (PDF) will be considered by members of The Highland Council’s Inverness City Committee on Monday 9 August, which sets out a renewed vision for shaping the future of the city.   The City Vision will form part of the Highland Wide Local Development Plan, and future area Local Development Plans. It has been prepared by the Council’s Planning and Development Service following public consultation.

It is hoped the preparation of the vision will help attract vital funding from the Scottish Government to enable key projects, such as improved traffic circulation, enhanced green spaces and city centre developments, to proceed when funds become available.

Planners are focusing on the four key qualities that the public want to achieve for the city:

  • Quality of life – the ambition for Inverness to rise up in the FSB Scottish Index of success with improved quality of life for its people
  • Quality of  service – the aspiration of shared service delivery between public/private and third sectors
  • Quality of design – a wish to creating city standards of high quality design throughout the city
  • Quality of brand – a desire to match the expectations of the Highlands and the city of Inverness

Emerging ambitions for Inverness are that it become a –

  • learning city – where people can learn and develop new skills;
  • healthy city – that encourages active lifestyle and promotes health and well being;
  • green city – that protects and enhances its environment and functions in a sustainable way;
  • connected city – that is well connected both nationally and locally through roads, public transport and green networks;
  • enabling city – that provides possibilities, opportunities and encourages active citizenship; and a
  • tourist city  - that brings tourists into the city and to participate and integrate into the life of the city

 The overall city diagram considers the city in several elements:

  • The A9 corridor – the moment you arrive into Inverness, the corridor and how it links within the Highland context;
  • The waterfront – an asset the city should take full advantage of;
  • The city centre + Raigmore  - as a core element of the city’s fabric and a service centre for the whole Highland area
  • The quality neighbourhoods – the creation of sustainable communities and neighbourhoods surrounding Inverness

 In addition there are cross-cutting elements which include:-

  • The canal / river / green link  - building on the key resource of both the river and canal and the connecting green spaces
  • the idea of the ‘spider’ – the creation of main linkages, priority streets and arteries that could be used to take you to any part the city

The report states: “What emerges, very simply, is a resurgent city centre as the heart of Inverness, surrounded by better connected neighbourhoods with good local facilities.”

Where the elements overlap, three key priority areas have been identified and outline masterplanning exercises have been undertaken for Longman, Ness-side and Raigmore.

The report says: “For each element and area,  strategies can be developed to guide future development.  Some areas may be more relaxed in their approach; others may describe a more disciplined approach about what is expected, there is no one size fits all for the city as a whole.”

The report highlights that collective responsibility is the key stating:  “The Highland Council alone cannot make it all happen so we need to be clever about management of resources to secure opportunities for the future.  Being clear on priorities encourages leadership at all scales and across sectors. Changing mindsets will create a process of enabling; allowing conversations to happen. We must learn from what is happening around us as we become a UniverCity, with every action in the city becoming a learning resource. The role of the council and public agencies will be to there to help and facilitate and to some extent let go allowing the citizens more control.”

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