More than a year after it closed, why has nothing happened at the Ironworks?

Closing the Ironworks music venue last year was seen as a major loss for the centre of Inverness.

Many mourned the passing of the building when it shut down to make way for a 155-bed hotel.

It was a controversial move which has seen the much-loved spot at 122B Academy Street lie empty ever since.

More than a year after the Ironworks shut its doors, and 20 months since permission was granted for the hotel, there are no visible signs of development.

How did we get here?

Highland councillors voted in August 2022 to approve an application from Bricks Capital to demolish the Ironworks and build a Courtyard by Marriott hotel.

It took a deciding vote from south planning applications committee chairman Thomas MacLennan to push through the decision after a 7-7 tie.

That officially sounded the death knell for the venue which held its final gig in February 2023.

Work on the hotel must start within three years of permission being granted.

It means Bricks still has 16 months to break ground on the development.

But with no sign of that happening, there is uncertainty over whether a major project for the city will materialise.

Several calls and emails from The Press and Journal to Bricks over the last few months have gone unanswered.

A spokeswoman for Marriott said it currently has no comment on the project.

The building was owned by the Upland Property Group which said last year its sale would be complete within weeks.

‘Why is it closed if there is nothing happening?’

Councillor Ian Brown, the leader of Inverness and area on the council, said: “I’ve not heard anything at all (about the project).

“Every time you go past you think ‘why is it closed if there is nothing happening?’ You do wonder if they have pulled out.

“It’s fairly normal to have delays, but this is quite a long delay with no news at all.

“It’s frustrating, especially for people who frequented the Ironworks to see it closed and then nothing has happened.

“It’s a site that should be developed just sitting there.”

Councillor Isabelle MacKenzie, a member of the south planning applications committee, said the delay could be down to factors including the increased costs of building materials.

“It has crossed my mind over the last few months ‘why has it all gone quiet? What’s happening?

“Is it because they have realised things have escalated and it’s more than they can take on at this point?”

Are the Academy Street plans to blame?

She also questioned whether work planned in Academy Street, including banning through traffic to reduce congestion, has affected the hotel project.

“That’s going to be a year/two years of mayhem.

“Would anyone want to put a hotel in if they know that end of the street is going to be disrupted?”

She said it is one of a number of city centre sites awaiting development.

“Are they on hold because of the economic downturn, or is there something else?

“Are they concerned Academy Street is going to potentially put people off?”

Meanwhile, Ironworks Venue continues to work on music and other projects.

Director Caroline Campbell said: “We have no direct contact with anyone regarding 122B Academy Street and Ironworks Venue is continuing as a business delivering projects as it always has done.”

The company is currently working with the Black Isle Brewery and Elephant Sessions on a new two-day music festival, Black Isle Calling, in September.