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More than just a Free Breakfast
Inverness BID Limited invites the city centre businesses to join us to discuss topics and concerns that affect your business.
River Ness Flood Proposals
Wed. 28 April BID Breakfast, 7.45am for 8.00am, finish 9.00am
Following up on last years well attended meeting, Provost Councillor Jimmy Gray has been invited to introduce this discussion which will include an update by a senior member of the Planning Department.
Houses of Multiple Occupancy
Wed. 2 June Late Lunch, 1.45pm for 2.00pm, finish 3.00pm
Many BID members have expressed their concerns at the development and expansion of HMO’s in the city centre and their detrimental effect on their business. BID has been discussing the issue with the relevant agencies who will be invited to the meeting. This is your opportunity to air your views.
Please confirm your attendance in advance by contacting 01463 714550 or email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. We thank the Ramada Jarvis Hotel, Church Street for hosting these events.
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Street 'characters' need controlling
 SPRING must surely be around the corner and we must hope it will give us all a reprieve from the tough economic climate of 2009.
Shopkeepers, offices and the hospitality sector have highlighted the increasing numbers of, shall we politely say "characters" on the streets affecting both the day and night time economies.
Following some investigation the cause is clear. Houses of multiple occupancy (HMO) licenses, limited elsewhere in the city, are totally unrestricted in the city centre, and the number of beds is at record levels.
Combined with the council's legal obligation to house anyone who comes to it and claims to be homeless, this means there is a ready market for basic accommodation.
The upper floors of all the buildings in the Old Town need to be occupied, but more balanced usage must be guaranteed.
Planning permission needs to be controlled and some laws and policies need to be changed. Permissions granted for out-of-town office developments prevent the regeneration of offices within the city.
A moratorium on this will not stop development in Inverness. If incentives are needed to drive it, perhaps HIE could redirect some of the extra millions reported to be going to the Cairngorm Mountain railway. Such money could be used as an incentive to redevelop modern offices with underground car parks in the city. We'll still need the A82 bypass to make this feasible of course.
There is a fine line between anarchy and a vibrant, safe, family-friendly city centre which Inverness BID seeks to promote.
People working in offices and living in flats within the city is definitely desirable, but further injections of undesirable characters in dormitories needs to be stopped.
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Take-up of closed city shops 'a sign of green shoots of recovery'
The growing number of empty shop units being filled by new tenants is evidence of the "green shoots" of recovery in the retail sector in Inverness, a city leader said yesterday.
Inverness business improvement district manager Mike Smith said vacant premises in Academy Street, Church Street and Strothers Lane are due to be re-occupied. Other new ventures include The Highland Foodstop in Inglis Street and Turkish restaurant Aspendos on Queensgate, while Living Oasis bookshop on Castle Street will open on Saturday.
The recession let to a number of high-profile closures including Millets, Viyella and Woolworths, while Union Street became synonymous with rows of "to let" signs.
The former Nickel 'n' Dime store in Academy Street is currently being renovated and the Scottish Hydro Electricity premises in Church Street is also set to be taken over by a new operator.
Independent furniture store The Byre in Strothers Lane opened last month, with an adjacent block of commercial units also due to be filled.
Mr Smith said yesterday: "I'm hopeful we are seeing the green shoots of recovery in the shopping and retail sector, which is pleasing to see."
He said filling the one-time Woolworths premises on High Street was still a priority after a proposed takeover by Au Naturel fell through when the form went into administration.
Living Oasis, which is run by the Nationwide Christian Trust, will open in the one-time premises of Wesley Owen, with the three former staff re-employed.
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Inverness bars recognised for customer care and safety
City bars have been recognised for their commitment to customer care at an awards ceremony.
 The Best Bar None Awards take place annually and this year saw Johnny Foxes and The Den, Bar One and Lauders scoop gold awards - the top honour.
Although in its fourth year,the awards received just seven applications, but organisers Inverness Business Improvement District (BID) and Safe Inverness hope more applications will be received next year.
Chief Inspector Jim Neil, head of Northern Constabulary's public protection unit, was disappointed at the low numbers.
"It is important" he said. "We had seven applications. What happened to the rest of the premises within the city? Next year we want to see 27 applications, not just seven. That is the way forward."
Other winners included The King's Highway (Wetherspoons), Auctioneers and The Caledonian (Smith and Jones) who all scooped silver awards, and, The Exchange which took a bronze award.
As well as a plaque, each winner was given a £50 metal detector for use, as they wish in their premises.
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'Undesirables' a blight on the city
Call for limit on properties in multiple occupancy
BUSINESSES are calling for a limit on the number of houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) in the city centre, amid fears "undesirable characters" are hitting trade.
HMO licences are limited in residential areas but are unrestricted in the centre.
Highland Council has a legal duty to help homeless people and to either find temporary or permanent accommodation for them, meaning many homeless, some with drug and alcohol addictions, end up in HMOs.
Businesses are complaining about people begging, drinking on the street, stealing to fund their addictions and fighting, and believe this is linked, in part, to the number of HMOs in the city centre.
The issue has been raised with BID manager Mike Smith, who is calling for action. "Our members tell us that HMOs in the city centre are causing problems for their businesses," he said. "They have major concerns about the existing ones and proposals for expansion.
"While we recognise that there is a need for some in the city centre, there needs to be a restriction on numbers and good monitoring.
"We have all been down on our luck but there are a large number of people with dependencies, or who are vulnerable, who have been put into these units."
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Freeze on HMOs
As chairman of the Inverness Business Improvement District, Garek Begg is at times an outspoken champion of the city centre, unafraid to criticise those he sees as standing in the way of its economic development.
Parking fees, business rates and the expansion of out of town shopping have all come in for criticism since he took on the role of heading Scotland's first BID. Today he turns his attention to the problems of what he calls "characters" on the city's streets.
By this he means drunks and beggars who, he believes, are deterring customers and affecting trade both during the day and at night-time.
While primarily a public order issue and the responsibility of police, Mr Begg has dug deeper to identify the causes and lays the blame squarely on the rapid growth of Houses in Multiple Occupation, or HMOs.
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Inverness First City in Scotland to pioneer BID.
BIDs are areas where businesses come together to invest communally in projects, which will strengthen their trading environment.
Inverness City Centre has taken the lead to create the first Business Improvement District in Scotland. Inverness BID is funded by you and run by you, the businesses in the City Centre.
The business community decided to create a BID by popular demand in March, when 82% of businesses voted in favour of the proposals. The BID will last until 2012 and the key objectives are to make the City Centre safer, cleaner and better promoted. The BID will also act as a voice for the City Centre to ensure that all the businesses in the area are getting their fair share of the Council’s and the government’s resources. So if there’s something on your mind then please get in touch with the office directly, a BID Ambassador or contact your local BID Street Champion.
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BIDs view on the future of Inverness College
