Inverness city centre needs ‘bold’ vision; plus harsh words for Highland MP and praise for Fairways firefighters

Bold choices needed for city centre

Inverness has to be the Highlands’ hub for social, economic and cultural activity. But our city centre is, like others, affected by wider trends.

I hope the Post Office will review the planned closure of the Queensgate Post Office, but the Visit Scotland High Street presence looks doomed, and there are too many units already empty.

The former model, based on retail, is no longer functioning for businesses, residents or visitors.

Indeed, the Office for National Statistics estimates that there is, nationally, 40 per cent oversupply of retail units. Things have changed. As urban regeneration expert, Christopher Santer, of Schroders, has identified, many town and city centres have been “hollowed out.”

Since Covid, and with online shopping now 25 per cent of total retail, the city centre offer needs to evolve.

To complement the varied retail, hospitality and entertainment, we need green spaces and civic spaces: cultural amenities, leisure activities, community gathering points, office spaces, and affordable residential living in energy-efficient homes.

The excellent Crown Connects is already researching the options for their proposed community asset transfer in The Hill district, and Highland Council’s Inverness Strategy is throwing up many possibilities for urban regeneration.

This is especially positive in light of government moves to make compulsory purchase easier and more streamlined.

Wigan Council has shown, in its acquisition of The Galleries Shopping Centre, how much economic and social benefit can come with proactive strategy to create attractive environments and community benefits as part of a wider vision.

In Wigan the increased spend (est. £8.8m from new residents alone) and higher council tax receipts (£500,000 pa) in a formerly-declining city centre have more than justified the initiative.

Commercial and residential uses can co-exist, and we have to be bold.

Councillor Michael Gregson

Inverness Central

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‘I feel comfortable with my choices’

Oh dear, I was so terribly sorry to hear that our serving MP thought I was being petty in my letter and not furthering political discourse. I do so hope I haven’t hurt his feelings.

Personally, I have always found Angus perfectly personable so I apologise if I touched a nerve. I had thought I was contributing to cross-party unity by quoting his colleague Liam McArthur MSP and citing Angus’s own party’s policies, but perhaps by highlighting Angus's various areas of difference from his own side, I was not.

Either way, I am very grateful that he was able to take time out of his schedule to correct me.

I’m also quite touched that he remembers me. As such a small fry, failed politician I’m rather moved that he thought it worth his while following my movements so closely.

It is true, I’m sure, that there might be people who consider it petty for a man who spent over £100,000 on his 37 per cent vote share to then highlight my lack of success running against him, especially considering my own campaign cost around 1.5 per cent of his.

I was extremely proud to run as a Green, and greatly appreciated the 2000 or so people who felt me worthy of their votes.

However, his broader point is correct: I did not retain the deposit and I have now moved party. He is also correct that I previously belonged to the Liberal Democrats. I’m afraid, when the facts change, so do I.

Again, I can only apologise if this makes me a “Walter Mitty like man”.

Indeed, I particularly enjoyed how Angus cited my own change from party to party before saying how proud he is to have donated to loads of the political parties. Truly, it appears, loyalty is in the wallet of the beholder for our MP.

Personally, I left the Lib Dems when it began cosying up to the Tories in the coalition years and becoming the midwives of austerity.

I was not - I am not - comfortable with a party which thought that it could accept those sort of people, nor accept donations from Conservatives like Rupert Soames and Lawrence Fox-enabler, and Reclaim Party financier, Jeremy Hosking, as Angus’s campaign did.

I feel comfortable with my choices.

Ironically, Angus can claim some credit here. My move to the SNP was almost directly related to what I learnt in my failed campaign against him: that is, if we are to banish the LINOs (Liberals in Name Only) currently hijacking the Highland Lib Dems, we need a unified Yes movement and we need to move towards independence with one voice – a voice that rejects the populist, far right, finance-heavy individualism-at-all-costs politics of, to take a random example, Angus Macdonald.

In the end, I find myself in complete agreement with someone Angus knows well: his chief of staff and newly returned Lib Dem councillor Andrew Baxter who said, “Lib Dem hypocrisy knows no bounds,” when he was representing the Tories in Cromarty Firth in 2022.

As it is, we are left worrying that our MP, perhaps, has skin as thin as, well, Lino.

Peter Newman

Edderton

Tributes after Fairways blaze

There was praise for the efforts of 30 firefighters from six different units who fought to contain last weekend’s deliberately set fire at the Fairways Business PAark in Inverness which destroyed several businesses.

“They did well to contain it to the one unit, saving other buildings and preventing further spread. Not a job I could do. Respect to all the firefighters who turned out.” - Fiona Barrett

“Thoughts to all who have lost their businesses and due to the wonderful job of the firefighters who did an amazing job avoiding it becoming worse and spreading.” - Ssandrra C-Dub

“They all did amazing and we are all grateful for all the work you do working with the fire service.” - Mary Ke

“It’s at times like this that we really appreciate just what our emergency services do. Some folk just give them all a hard time regardless, but the fire service did a fantastic job in preventing this from being even worse than it is. Thoughts with all the business owners and folk that work there.” - Mar Jar

“So very sad for all the businesses but praise to the firefighters for containing the fire, great work.” - Morag Macdonald

Letters should be submitted to newsdesk@hnmedia.co.uk. Please include your address and a daytime contact number. You can also tweet us: @InvCourier or leave a comment on Facebook @invernesscourier

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