Decision on controversial road redesign put on hold
An artist's impression of the proposed new-look Academy Street
At a glance
Councillors have voted 12 to 10 in favour of a redesign of Inverness' Academy Street
Highland Council has proposed making the busy city centre street pedestrian and cyclist friendly
The plans include restrictions on vehicle traffic
Inverness City Alliance has raised concerns that the impact of the proposals have not been properly assessed
- Published
Highland Council has put on hold a decision to progress with controversial plans to redesign one of Inverness' busiest city centre streets.
Councillors voted 12 to 10 on Monday afternoon to push ahead with making Academy Street pedestrian and cyclist friendly.
But just over 24 hours later, the local authority said it had received an amendment.
It will be debated at a meeting of the full council on 14 September.
The planned redesign includes restricting traffic to buses, delivery vehicles and drivers with disabilities and health conditions.
But the proposals are controversial because some businesses have said that while improvements were needed, the impact of the current plans have not been thoroughly assessed or consulted on.
On Monday, officials were asked to continue work on a traffic regulation order, which is needed to enforce limits of the types of vehicles that could use Academy Street.
The order would be subject to public consultation.
Other proposals for the street include widening of footpaths and increasing the number of pedestrian crossings.
Highland Council has proposed making the street pedestrian and cyclist friendly
Following the vote on Monday, Highland Council's Inverness area leader, Ian Brown, said months of discussions had taken place with businesses and others.
He said: “I do believe that the proposed design strikes a careful balance based on all the opinions that have been expressed and that it will deliver sustainable transport, city centre regeneration, and will support the city centre economy."
The local authority has secured £800,000 from the Scottish government for the project.
Scott Murray, of business and residents group Inverness City Alliance, accused councillors of pushing ahead with plans without "due diligence" being done.
He said: "You wouldn't buy a car without test driving it, looking at what the servicing costs and what the monthly payments are going to be.
"Not pausing to gather the facts is a bad idea."