Inverness councillors today approved a place-based funding package worth £640,433.
The Inverness Campus sports development attracted more than half of that funding.
The project will deliver an all-weather sports pitch near to Inverness College UHI. It has already attracted substantial support from the council’s town centre regeneration fund and sportscotland.
However, the original £915,000 price tag has shot up 40% with inflation, and it’s now expected to cost around £1.27 million.
Members of Inverness committee today agreed to provide an additional £335,499 to keep the development moving and attract further match funding.
The other headline investment is the Victorian Market, Market Hall and Fish Market, which will receive £79,000.
The remaining £225,934 fund is divided up between a range of community-led projects in the wider Inverness region.
These include:
- £45,000 towards a new roof for Glen Urquhart public hall
- £93,191 towards a wheeled sports park (scooters, bikes, skateboards and roller blades) developed by Inshes Community Association
- £74,343 towards the refurbishment and development of Crown Church as a community resource
- £16,900 for an outdoor gym in Ardersier
Hydro Ness on hold, for now
The Scottish Government awarded Highland Council £1.2 million from its Place Based Investment Programme, which targets investment around the needs and aspirations of local communities.
Inverness’ share of the funding amounts to £640,433, but demand hugely outstripped the funds available.
As a result, councillors have had to defer a planned £240,000 investment in the ambitious Hydro Ness plan.
However, Inverness provost Helen Carmichael said she expects this project to be “top of the list” in the next funding round.
