20 35 ONE CITY, ONE VISION - Drew Hendry MP

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20 35 ONE CITY, ONE VISION - Drew Hendry MP
INVERNESS
                         FUTURES

    20
                           GROUP

    35
INVERNESS
ONE CITY, ONE VISION
20 35 ONE CITY, ONE VISION - Drew Hendry MP
[1]   Contents
            [2]   Why We Need A Vision

 01
            [3]   Part of a Thriving Highlands
            [4]   City of Opportunity 2021
            [5]   A Vision for 2035
            [6]   Creating a Shared Vision

            [7]   A Welcoming City
            [8]   An Arrival to Remember
            [9]   An Attractive City Centre

Inverness   [10] Family-Friendly First

            [11] A Successful City

2035
            [12] Success Where it Matters
            [13] Communities & Commerce
            [14] Culture, Arts & Leisure

            [15] A Green City
            [16] Creating Green Spaces

            [17] A Sustainable City
            [18] A Sustainable Culture

            [19] If Not This, Then What?
Why We
Need A                                           02
City Vision

Wherever you look in Inverness,       This paper also aims to be a
you will discover magnificent work    starting place for partners and
being done to enhance Inverness       invested parties to come together
as a city to live in and as a place   to work towards a common goal –
to visit.                             to create an Inverness vision that
                                      is unapologetically ambitious.
The physical and mental health
and wellbeing of our people has       Only when we know where we are
rarely, if ever been more             going can we map out the route to
important. Whether it is public       getting there.
sector projects, private investment
or community initiatives, you don't   In setting out what that vision may
have to look far to find innovative   look like, this paper does not
ways of providing uplifting and       intend to answer the challenges
inspiring ways to improve the         and obstacles that may arise from
wellbeing of people who live in       setting a shared vision.
Inverness and the visitors who
arrive here.                          This paper is a starting point for
                                      us to describe what is possible for
This paper does not intend to         Inverness and what it could look
bypass all that excellent work or     and feel like in the future, and the
aim to replace economic               steps we need to take to get
development plans and sectoral        there.
projects currently underway.

Instead, it seeks to highlight the
need for a shared vision and a               INVERNESS
way to connect current, planned
and future projects to deliver a               FUTURES
welcoming, successful, green,
sustainable city at the heart of a
                                                 GROUP
thriving Highlands.
Part of a
      03                               Thriving
                                       Highlands

When considering the economic           This is not a criticism of any
and social future of Inverness, it      partner organisations or any
is impossible to separate the city      approach taken; however, it does
from the rest of the Highlands.         highlight the absence of and need
The future of the city and the          for a specific Inverness City
wider Highlands will always be          approach.
interlinked, and to succeed, each
must work in step.                      The question must be: why should
                                        Inverness be different from any
Organisations concerned with the        other city with its own unique
future of the City of Inverness         identity?
have within their remit
responsibility for the development      If we want Inverness to realise its
of the Highland region. This            potential as a modern city - to be
means that Inverness is often           attractive to visitors and investors
seen as a part of the whole             alike - then we must recognise
picture rather than the picture         that Inverness requires a distinct
itself. Understandably, this results    vision.
in a region-wide approach and
dilutes any city-specific vision.       The role of Inverness as the
                                        gateway to the region or the
The Highland Council sets out a         capital of the Highlands is a
Programme for Administration for        crucial part of its unique offering
the local authority area. At the        and always will be, but for
same time, Highlands and Islands        Inverness to thrive, we need a
Enterprise is concerned with the        vision for the city that is more
development of the region. Still,       than its geographical location.
there is currently no public or
shared vision for the City of
Inverness.
City of
Opportunity                                        04
2021
This is an exciting time for Inverness,   The University of the Highlands and
with several developments changing        Islands changed more than the
the landscape and social fabric of the    landscape of Inverness; it has
city.                                     enabled more young people to study
                                          and live here.
The £315m Inverness City Region
Deal unlocked transformational            Respected education institutions and
projects in and around the city.          research programmes in the heart of
                                          the City allows us to retain talent in
It enabled partners to develop the        the region, increasing opportunities
connectivity through the construction     for inward investment well into the
of critical roads and active travel       future.
infrastructure, realising the
                                          The establishment of the UHI campus
opportunity to free up land for
                                          has set the foundations for a thriving
housing and commercial
                                          jobs market in the future.
development.
                                          Several new hotel developments are
The City Region Deal set out the
                                          elevating the city's tourism offering.
ambition to position Inverness as a
                                          As the retail sector continues to
place of digital opportunity. The
                                          struggle in the face of changing
public investment in this aim opened
                                          shopping trends, the city centre sees
the door for partnership opportunities
                                          growth in the food and drink sectors.
resulting in over £20m private sector
investment in digital infrastructure      The ongoing development of Highlife
across Inverness.                         Highland facilities offers modern
                                          leisure and social facilities accessible
Without a doubt, full fibre networking    to all in the community and across
across the city is a gamechanger for      the city. The Bught Campus area,
Inverness, but if it is not part of a     linked to the city by the Active Travel
wider strategy, it is just technology.    route offers huge potential for
                                          additional cultural and sporting
Inverness is already a popular base       activities for locals and visitors of all
for businesses. Lifescan Scotland,        abilities and groups.
Norbord Europe, Capgemini, Orion
and the Global Energy Group are just      The continued development of Eden
some of the major companies that          Court's programme offers visitors and
have a significant Inverness base.        residents the opportunity to enjoy
                                          culture and arts in the centre of
                                          Inverness.
05   INVERNESS 2035

A welcoming
successful
green
sustainable
city at the
heart of a
thriving
Highlands.
Creating a
Shared Vision
                                                                      06
The vision of Inverness - a welcoming,          In the pages that follow, this paper will set
successful, green, sustainable city at the      out some of the policy decisions that may
heart of the Highlands - is an opportunity to   be required, aspirational goals and
create an anchor point for all strategic        statements of intent that could form part of
plans for the city moving forward.              the plans to achieve our shared vision.

How this might look will be different to us     Hopefully, these options will inspire a
all, and that is why this exercise is so        collaborative approach to the next chapter
important. Whatever the answer to what          of Inverness - one of Europe's fastest
Inverness will be in 2035 may be, it needs      growing cities and the city in the heart of
to have Inverness's people at its heart.        the Highlands.
07   INVERNESS 2035

A
welcoming
city at the
heart of a
thriving
Highlands.
An
Arrival to                                         08
Remember

Inverness will be a welcoming          When people arrive, they will have
city for visitors from near and        access to rail links, eco bikes,
far. Shops, businesses, tour           electric buses, and self-drive
operators and residents will be        rentals – getting to Inverness City
proud of Inverness’s world-            from the airport will be quick,
renowned reputation as the             clean and connected.
welcoming city. It will be a           Visitors will be able to avoid the
statement of intent turned into        elements by accessing city
reality by the people of               transport links all under one roof.
Inverness. Their pride in our
welcoming city will make               Public transport will be modern,
Inverness a great place to live        proudly eco, well maintained and
and visit.                             clean. Timetables and tickets will
                                       be fully accessible online and via
Whether visitors arrive by bus,        apps.
train, car, or flight, their first
impression of Inverness will be        All transport links will be fully
consistently that of a                 integrated with the ability to buy a
welcoming city. When they              single pass to that final
leave, they will do so, with a         destination. People arriving by
warm recollection of the               bus will disembark in an attractive
Highland welcome they                  sheltered bus station that will be
enjoyed throughout their visit.        well be maintained and
                                       sympathetically designed to suit
It will be an experience that          its surroundings.
stays with them and brings             Visitors will experience an
them back time and time again.         effortless transition to their
The airport will be a blend of         destination accommodation,
modern amenities coupled with          having already accessed the
the warmth of a Highland               urban trail on their app and aided
welcome. The city will be              by the helpful staff and locals they
accessible by hub airports,            encounter as they move
enabling visitors and residents        throughout the city.
to travel seamlessly across the
globe.

INVERNESS           2035      -   A   WELCOMING         CITY
An
      09                               Attractive
                                       City Centre

Visitors will be attracted to           Gone will be a city centre
walking or cycling to their             prioritised for cars and buses –
destination because of the              instead, priority will be given to
beautiful pedestrian streetscapes.      pedestrians and cyclists.
                                        Streetscapes will be designed for
They will marvel at our historical      active travel, supported by park
architecture, there to enjoy
                                        and ride zones on the city's
because of the extensive and
                                        outskirts. Street furniture will be
regular cleaning of city centre
                                        minimal, and where it can be
buildings and street cleaning.
                                        found, it will be sympathetically
Visitors will be able to mentally       designed to ensure disabled
map out their activities for the        people are not hindered by it.
days ahead because of well
thought out directional signs,          Our streets will be bustling with
pointing them to the world-class        families enjoying the 'what's on'
Inverness Castle experience, the        features of the day or finding their
beautiful riverside trail and all       way along the digital urban trails,
those fantastic culture and sports      supported by our gigabit Wi-Fi
hot spots in and around the city.       infrastructure throughout the city.

Every entry to Inverness is             Independent businesses and
attractive and welcoming as part        retailers will be supported by
of the City's ongoing work to fulfil    independent retailer enterprise
its promise to be the world's most      zones. Our high street will be a
welcoming city.                         blend of retail, office, housing and
                                        hospitality.
Inverness won't just be a city for
visitors – it will be a place to
                                        Inverness's charm will be its
enjoy for those who live here.
                                        people – in its shops, restaurants,
The city centre will be attractive,
accessible for all and most             businesses and on the streets.
importantly family-friendly with a      Food and drink will be at the heart
focus on creating a place and           of the design of our city centre,
atmosphere that has a positive          with restaurants and bars for
and enriching effect on wellbeing.      locals and visitors alike to enjoy.

INVERNESS           2035      -   A    WELCOMING         CITY
Family
Friendly                                              10
First
Inverness will be the best city to      Public areas – once considered
grow up in, a claim that will be        unattractive – will be reimagined
backed up by being an accredited        to make them family-friendly
UNICEF Child-Friendly City and          routes or parks. These public
local political commitment to           areas won't be only places to take
creating nurturing social and           children, they facilitate much
school environments – ensuring          needed social interaction between
no child is left behind.                different generations –
                                        purposefully engage with a wide
The city infrastructure will be         variety of partners to create
constructed to create family-           events that bring together the
friendly active travel routes, parks    youngest and oldest residents and
and outdoor public spaces for           visitors.
activities. Inverness will be a
growing city where green space is       A long-standing commitment to
prioritised in every planning           new housing – both affordable
development.                            and social rent – will ensure every
                                        family has a safe home to live in.
The city will be awash with colour      The most vulnerable in our
because of a citywide partnership       society will feel part of a
between local schools and council       community and be supported.
services.
                                        Care in the community extends
Whether it is joint streetscape         beyond public services, and
projects or expressive art              community groups will be leading
adorning walls along the river,         the efforts in their local area.
when people visit Inverness, they       Schools will be modern, inclusive
                                        campuses that reflect our ongoing
will feel the city’s children at its
                                        commitment to nurturing the city's
heart.
                                        children. Active travel routes and
Thanks to the pedestrianisation of      integrated transport links will
Inverness city centre, families will    ensure travelling to and from
enjoy spending time in the centre       school is safe and enjoyable.
and the local economy benefits
significantly from their presence.      Often described as the Safe City,
Making the city centre accessible       Inverness continues to have the
                                        lowest crime rate of any city in
to all will increase footfall for
                                        Scotland.
shops.

INVERNESS           2035      -   A    WELCOMING         CITY
11   INVERNESS 2035

A
successful
city at the
heart of a
thriving
Highlands.
Success
       12                         Where it
                                  Matters

There will be shared commitment         As a result of local policy,
to the vision to be a welcoming,        cooperatives and community
successful, green, sustainable city     ownership initiatives will bring
at the heart of a thriving              tired public assets to life across
Highlands.                              the city.

People living in Inverness will be      Communities will have an active
connected to this vision and will       role in planning and development.
be central to its journey. The
physical and mental wellbeing of        There will be a shared asset
the city's people will be at the        register for the city - detailing the
core of all public policy decisions,    public assets, buildings and land.
with clear success metrics.             This will be fully accessible
                                        online.
All strategic planning will stem
from this vision and form a             Public policy and investment are
blueprint to attain and sustain this    concerned with creating a thriving
vision.                                 economy and a thriving well-being
                                        economy. Development will be
A collaborative policy approach         sustainable, inclusive and
between public organisations,           resilient.
commerce and communities put
the people who live, work and           Inverness will be a well-regarded
study here at the centre of all         incubator for start-up companies,
development planning.                   bringing a range of sectors
                                        together, creating a sustainable
This blend of the public sector,        and resilient economy.
private and community support,
along with strategic infrastructure
and development plans, means
Inverness will be a city that knows
where it is going.

INVERNESS           2035     -   A     SUCCESSFUL           CITY
Connected
Communities                                        13
& Commerce

Inverness will be a city that           The city will be welcoming and
connects businesses to trading          attractive to multi-national
partners, workers to jobs and           corporations.
people to places.
                                        All new homes will be connected
The Gigabit connectivity across         via fibre to the premises internet
the city will make Inverness an         connection, thanks to planning
attractive place to do business.        policy that incorporated fibre to
Investment in infrastructure will       the premises as a supply
support economic and social             requirement in planning consents.
productivity.
                                        The city's modern gigabit
Inverness will be the home of           infrastructure will enable health
start-up businesses, supported by       services to use smart
enterprising public policy and a        technologies to deliver care in the
proactive campaign to attract           community and will help build
start-ups to the city. Incubator        communities.
zones will enable small to medium
businesses to share resources as        The use of SMART technologies
they grow.                              will support people where they
                                        live, socialise and work.
Flexible and equipped working
spaces across the city will make it     The city will boast a reputation as
an attractive and low-cost place        a STEM centre of expertise,
for small to medium-sized               providing well-paid jobs for young
businesses.                             people and the research facilities
                                        at UHI will be considered world-
The connected public transport          class.
infrastructure and traffic control
measures allow workers to travel
quickly and safely to work.

INVERNESS          2035      -   A    SUCCESSFUL         CITY
Culture,
        14                           Arts &
                                     Leisure
As a successful city with             An ongoing commitment to culture
wellbeing at its heart, Inverness     and the arts will grow the city's
will be a showcase for Art,           night economy and ensure
Leisure, Culture and Music,           Inverness's reputation as an
bringing to life Highland heritage    experience city.
through artistic expression in
                                      Highlife Highland will be leading
physical art and spaces.
                                      peer organisations in attracting
                                      the best in culture, learning, sport,
A world-class visitor experience,
                                      leisure, health and wellbeing,
Inverness Castle will cement the
                                      along with engaged partners,
city's reputation for tourism,
                                      such as Sportscotland, Creative
heritage and arts.
                                      Scotland, Visit Scotland and
                                      Scottish Canals.
Urban trails will be well planned
and engaging.                         Every corner of the city will boast
                                      modern sport & leisure facilities
Venues will keep reimagining the      that are accessible and
city's entertainment through the      welcoming.
extensive augmented reality
experiences interwoven across         The riverside will be brought to
the city.                             life with market stalls and
                                      activities for the family to enjoy.
Eden Court, Scotland's largest        The walk routes around the city
single-site, award-winning arts       will be engaging and informative.
venue, will be one of Scotland's      People will enjoy reading about
                                      Inverness's history while walking
best-loved experience venues,
                                      along the canal, visiting the
bringing an excellent artistic
                                      marina or discovering the
programme to residents and
                                      woodland areas.
visitors alike.
                                      Inverness's location in the heart
Local culture, art and music will     of the Highlands, community-led
be at the core of city plans,         development and popularity as a
nurtured and supported by             place to live and visit will ensure
creative funding.                     an experience for every style,
                                      budget, and taste.

INVERNESS          2035      -   A   SUCCESSFUL            CITY
15   INVERNESS 2035

A
green
city at the
heart of a
thriving
Highlands.
Creating
        16                          Green
                                    Spaces

Inverness will be a carbon-neutral      There will be an extensive
city and will boast the lowest air      programme of investment in
pollution of any Scottish city.         active travel and bike
                                        infrastructure throughout the
Inverness is at the heart of a          entire city area.
thriving Highlands. It will attract
visitors from across the world          Inverness will have more
eager to enjoy the outdoor              pedestrians and cyclists than cars
pursuits and beautiful scenery to       travelling along popular routes.
be found across the region.             Inverness will be Scotland's
Nurturing our nature will be at the     cycling city, active travel routes
heart of Inverness in 2035.             will be well-thought-out and
                                        visiting the city centre is a
Unused public spaces will be            pleasant experience.
turned into community assets and
supported with funding to create        Our local economy will benefit
green spaces.                           from the increased footfall in the
                                        city centre because it will be easy
Projects, such as Edible                to get to and move around.
Inverness, will have ensured the        Public transport will be
city's green spaces feature edible      interconnected, green and
areas.                                  reliable, making it a preferred
                                        mode of transportation to get
The city centre will be reimagined      around the city.
to create green spaces in the
heart of the city. The city will be     All public vehicles will be electric
home to multiple community              or hydrogen-powered.
allotment areas.
                                        Electric car infrastructure will be
Public parks will be created with       well maintained, accessible at all
each new large housing                  park and rides and in public car
development, along with seating         parks.
areas.

INVERNESS          2035      -   A    GREEN     CITY
17   INVERNESS 2035

A
sustainable
city at the
heart of a
thriving
Highlands.
A
Sustainable                                           18
Culture

Promoting education on the              New housing developments will
importance of sustainable living        be environmentally friendly with
will not be confined to schools; it     innovative green spaces.
will be available to all.
                                        As part of planning consent, new
Active travel will be the preferred     housing and business
mode of transport for people            developments will be required to
travelling around the city to work      install solar or renewable
and study.                              infrastructure to a specified
                                        standard.
Recycling will be an embedded
culture with residents of the city.     Solar panels will be installed in all
                                        new public buildings, schools and
Renewable energy projects will          homes.
not only generate power but will
also act as educational tools to        Urban development will be
embed a culture of sustainability.      innovative, solar-powered
                                        buildings that incorporate green
The Archimedes Screw on the             space in the plans.
river ness will be one such
example of a popular tourist            Sustainable urban agriculture will
destination using renewable             form part of public planning and
energy to power buildings.              there will be a fund to support
                                        urban agriculture projects in and
UN sustainability goals will be         around the city.
incorporated into local public
policy and will be at the heart of
city planning.

INVERNESS           2035      -   A   SUSTAINABLE         CITY
If Not This,
Then What?                              19

               This paper has set out what Inverness

A              2035 could look like at the heart of a
               thriving Highlands; as a welcoming,
               successful, green, sustainable city, with

welcoming      physical and mental health and wellbeing
               at its core. In doing so, it also provides a
               picture of how policy decisions,

successful     aspirations and collaborative working
               might achieve this.

green          While no one organisation is responsible
               for the delivery of Inverness's vision, this
               vision cannot be delivered without

sustainable    cooperation between public
               organisations, businesses and
               communities that will need to work in

city at the    collaboration.

               The vision for Inverness also needs to be

heart of a     resilient to political cycles and changes in
               leadership. This can be achieved by
               creating a One City, One Vision

thriving       stakeholder group.

               The question to be posed from this paper

Highlands.     is; if this is not the Inverness we should
               aspire to be, then what is it, how do we
               describe it and, perhaps most
               importantly, how are we going to get
               there?
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