Redesign suggested for 'ugly' office blocks in Inverness

The concrete office blocks on Inverness' Bridge Street were constructed in the 1950s and 60s

Architectural technology students have unveiled their ideas for how eyesore buildings in the centre of Inverness could be redeveloped.

Fourth year BSc (Hons) students at Inverness College UHI were set the challenge of improving the concrete office blocks on Bridge Street.

The properties were built on the banks of the River Ness in the 1950s and 1960s.

The site was purchased by Highland Council for redevelopment last year.

Students were set a challenge to improve the buildings

US travel writer Bill Bryson described the office blocks as "sensationally ugly", while Highland Council's leader Margaret Davidson has called them "great grey lumps".

Highland Council's planned takeover of the buildings, which have in the past served as a headquarters for the Highlands and Islands Development Board and Crofting Commission, 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.