Highland Council buys 'sensationally ugly' Inverness buildings

The local authority has acquired the site in Bridge Street

Highland Council has completed the purchase of buildings, described as "sensationally ugly" in Inverness.

The concrete office blocks were constructed during a period of development on the banks of the River Ness in the 1950s and 1960s.

The local authority has bought the site in the centre of Inverness for £5.2m by borrowing and using £1.5m from the Scottish government.

Highland Council is expected to consult the public on the site's future.

A revamp of the site could take 10 years, they said.

'Great grey lumps'

The buildings' design has been frequently criticised.

US travel writer Bill Bryson described the blocks on Bridge Street as "sensationally ugly", and last month Highland Council's leader Margaret Davidson described them as "great grey lumps".

The purchase is part of a wider plan that includes transforming Inverness Castle into a tourist attraction

The buildings previously served as a headquarters for the Highlands and Islands Development Board and Crofting Commission.

Highland Council's takeover of the site forms part of the redevelopment of Inverness Castle and the nearby museum.

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service occupies most of the castle, but is to move out and relocate to a new complex by about 2020.

Inverness Castle is to then be turned into a major tourist attraction.