Council facing £80,000 decision over repair of floral clock

The time has come for the Highland Council to decide on restoring a much-loved landmark.

Members of Highland Council’s city of Inverness committee will be asked on Monday to choose from six different options on how to reinstate the floral clock that was a focal point for years in the shadow of Inverness Castle.

The landmark was removed in 2016 and was deemed to be beyond economic repair, before £35,000 of funding was acquired to put towards the works.

Nevertheless, full replacement of the clock mechanism and associated planting have been priced at around £80,000, leaving the committee to decide how it wants to take things forward.

One of six opinions set to be presented at next week’s meeting proposes simply removing existing planting and not installing the clock at all.

This would require the least amount of maintenance but still cost £20,000 to £25,000 to turf over the existing flower beds.

A second option would see no change to the current agreement but the installation of the clock would be pushed back to May 2027.

Option three would see traditional “carpet bedding” and the installation of the clock, with annual design changes of the flower beds. This is priced at around £52,000 to £64,000, with the annual flower change estimated at £18,000 to £32,000.

The fourth option suggests hard landscaping with natural stone and decorative material around the clock face. It is noted as a long-term durable solution with a price tag of £45,000 to £60,000.

Option five is a combination of hard landscaping and traditional planting with a full cost estimate yet to be confirmed.

The final option put forward proposes a naturalistic Highland landscape design, concentrating on a meadow feel with heather and stone features.

It is the most expensive option, estimated to cost £64,000 to £69,000.

As well as options on how to restore the clock, the committee will also be presented with options on how the remaining funding can be found – through contributions from the Inverness Castle Experience; sponsorship; third party funding; or the Inverness Common Good Fund.