The long wait to know what replaces the rejected “tilting pier” riverside artwork proposal for Inverness is almost over.
The council is to confirm its choice on June 22.
The Press and Journal revealed in March that a collaboration led by Chilean-born designer Karsten Huneck had been shortlisted for the publicly-funded contract.
Row erupts after Inverness “tilting pier” scheme is abandoned
He had begun work on the dipping platform project but it was shelved after a huge public outcry over its design and £370,000 cost.
The bulk of it will be funded by a ringfenced national pot of money for such artworks. The council has, however, spent thousands of pounds to help facilitate the project.
The new work will be the centrepiece of an ambitious “Gathering Place” fixture and part of a wider celebration of the riverside.
Other publicly funded city centre art installations have popped up in recent years as part of a broader £760,000 initiative.
A small steering group of councillors has been tight-lipped about the choice of design and concept for the latest work.
A council official has already stated that the addition will “not be a reprise of the tilting pier.”
Anger persists over public money being used in an era of unprecedented cuts in council budgets.
However, an economic assessment previously carried out for the council had calculated that the cost of the platform would easily be recouped – through extra tourism – within two years.
A year ago, a model of the pier was unveiled at its chosen location beside Eden Court Theatre to a mixed response from residents and visitors.
A petition opposing it followed and, two months later, the council bowed to public pressure to ditch the particular project. Artists were then invited to submit fresh proposals.
