Highland councillors urged to reject £80,000 plan to improve active travel routes in Inverness

Councillors have been asked to reject an £80,000 plan to improve active travel routes in Inverness.

Visit Inverness Loch Ness (VILN) has lodged a bid for the money from the community regeneration pot, to improve connectivity within Inverness city centre and the wider area.

But at an Inverness Common Good Fund sub-committee meeting earlier this month, members decided they were unable to support the application on the grounds that it was “speculative and the works were not well scoped”.

The application is one of 11 projects whose funding bids will go before Highland Council’s Inverness city and area committee on Monday for approval, but it is the only one recommended for rejection.

The VILN bid seeks support for new and upgraded signage to help better connect the city centre with major active travel routes like the South Loch Ness Trail and John O’Groats Trail, along with improved mapping, information points, transport hubs and bike hire.

VILN says the work is needed due to currently inconsistent wayfinding infrastructure and unsafe routes.

It claims there is strong support for the project from community groups, path networks and tourism businesses.