City centre councillors have decided to reinstate benches to Inverness High Street which were removed by the council in a bid to combat anti-social behaviour.
The decision to support the restoration of four benches at the spot outside McDonald’s restaurant was made at yesterday’s central ward business meeting.
The local authority decided to remove the benches for a two-month trial period due to concerns raised that some people using them were involved in anti-social behaviour.
But residents in the city recently took to social media to air their views on whether the benches should be brought back. The reaction was largely in favour of the seats returning, with some local people venting their anger about the decision to take them away in the first place.
Inverness central councillor Donnie Kerr said that members present at the meeting “decided overwhelmingly” to support the reinstatement. He added: “Members felt that any such anti-social behaviour should be capable of being dealt with by police and the removal of street furniture was no way to solve such an issue.
“The permission which was given for removing the benches was very reluctantly given in the first place and was today removed after considerable concerns being raised by elderly users of these benches, and a strong feeling that moving the benches had simply relocated the problem and had done nothing to ultimately resolve the issue.”
His fellow ward councillor Bet McAllister, who has always backed the return of the benches, wrote on social media: “Good news the four benches are going to be reinstated on the High Street.
“The Highland Council wanted to wait another month and put only two benches back.
“I am delighted that they have listened to reason.”
At the time of the council decision to remove the benches, Inverness Chamber of Commerce chairman Stewart Nicol feared that the move would only serve to shift the problem elsewhere.
Yesterday he said: “I think on balance it’s a difficult decision with lots of factors at play, and I think that it is a good decision to reinstate something of presence in the High Street.
“I think we still need to address the underlying trends here which are a problem in the city centre that initially led to the temporary withdrawal, so it’s a bigger picture here than just four seats on the High Street.”
McDonald’s franchisee and chairman of Inverness Business Improvement District, Craig Duncan, previously thanked councillors who backed the trial and recently said that he remained in favour of the move as it had improved the state of the High Street.
He was unreachable for comment yesterday.
