Inverness Street Revamp Abandoned After Costs Exceed £713,000

The Highland Council allocated over £713,000 to the planning phase of its problematic Inverness Academy Street Project. The local authority’s plans, which aimed to enhance the city centre road for pedestrians, were discontinued in September after facing a legal challenge. External fees associated with the legal proceedings in the Court of Session amounted to more than £54,000. The majority of the overall expenditure, which the council confirmed prior to a discussion on the project’s costs, was financed through Scottish government funds. The owners of the city’s Eastgate Shopping Centre successfully contested the Academy Street proposals, which had incorporated restrictions on private vehicles, in court. A judicial decision determined that the Highland Council’s consultation process for the plan was unlawful and that the potential effects on businesses had not been adequately assessed. Although the local authority had initially stated its intention to file an appeal, councillors subsequently decided to discontinue the planned revamp.