Ambitious plans have been unveiled to turn Inverness Castle into a V&A of the north that will be a huge tourist draw for the whole of the Highlands.
Stuart Black, Highland Council’s director of development and infrastructure, said the local authority is partnering up with the National Gallery and National Museum of Scotland to turn the castle into a tourist attraction of “national significance” that will fully open in the early part of the next decade.
It is hoped the new attraction will have the same sort of impact as the £80million Victoria and Albert design museum currently under construction in Dundee.
At present, the main castle building solely serves as the city’s courthouse, but the court service has indicated that they aim to move into the new justice centre in Longman Road in 2019.
And yesterday the North Tower viewing platform, which gives 360 degree views of Inverness and beyond, opened its doors to the public and marks the first phase of the wider project.
Mr Black also suggested that photographs of views taken the top of the North Tower could be sent around the world, helping the Highlands go global.
The council boss hopes to furnish the new tourism centre with artefacts from across the Highlands in a bid to encourage tourists to travel further afield to sites such as the Cuillins in Skye, or the beaches of north west Sutherland.
He said: “It will promote the whole of the Highlands and people will be encouraged to go further afield.
“What we would like to do is create the same sort of excitement as the V&A in Dundee by aiming to have a visitor attraction of national significance in a high quality, iconic building such as the castle.
“We want something that is a celebration of what the Highlands has offered both nationally and internationally over the years.
“When the castle fully opens in the early 2020s it will be a really significant driver for the local economy.
“The castle is also the start and finish point the NC 500 and that shows the power of social media.”
A total of £15million from the City Region Deal will be used to convert the castle in the early part of next decade, and Mr Black said that an application will also be submitted for lottery funding as part for the project.
The hope is that it will rival the V&A museum in Dundee, which is the centrepiece of the city’s £1billion waterfront regeneration project and linked to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
The new North Tower viewing platform was fully booked on the first day with a total of 200 people visiting the attraction – a pattern which is expected all week.
The facility will be run by High Life Highland and managed by staff from the nearby Inverness Museum and Art Gallery.
Yesterday Graham Cross, commercial manager for High Life Highland, said the aim will be to attract between 30,000 and 50,000 people from April to October for the opening season.
Visitors from Spain, Austria, India and China were among several nationalities represented yesterday, as well as many local families enjoying Easter Monday.
Visitors are entitled to free entry this week but, from Saturday onwards, adults will be charged £5 and children under 12 will be charged £3.
Key city sights from the viewing platform include the distinctive art deco style Inverness High School, Inverness Cathedral, Kessock Bridge and Balnain House.
Stunning views further afield include the oil rigs at the sutors of Cromarty, Fort George barracks, Ben Wyvis and views up the Great Glen.
Former sheriff clerk at the court, Maureen Ross, of Highfield in Inverness, was among those visiting yesterday with her grandson, seven-year-old Cameron Ross.
The 70-year-old said: “It’s fantastic up there. It’s especially great for visitors. It’s going to be great for Inverness because the amount of people over the years who have wandered up and around the castle, expecting to find somewhere to go, have been left a bit disappointed.”
