Inverness councillors will this afternoon decide whether the controversial river Ness public art programme should continue.
The programme has provoked strong public feelings over the past few years, resulting in the council abandoning the first ‘Gathering Place’ design for a tilting pier over the river.
The replacement design known as My Ness has proved equally controversial with some.
Protest group Open Ness say they’re not against public art, but the new design is ‘not good art’ and the Inverness public were not consulted in the choice of design or site.
They say the design will be practically inaccessible to wheelchair users and not enough work has been done on its environmental or wildlife impact.
The council insists it followed correct governance procedures throughout the process.
It says abandoning the programme will have considerable financial and reputational implications.
Costs thought to be close to £200,000 will be incurred to the council if councillors decide to end the project today.
How to meet these costs will be discussed later at a full council meeting, the council has said.
Crunch meeting for My Ness riverside art project in Inverness today
