If you’ve taken a stroll through Inverness city centre lately and left with a sense that things just aren’t as good as they used to be, you’re not alone. People are not shy when it comes to pointing the finger of blame about what the problems are and who is responsible for causing them. Take a look at any online discussion about the city centre and you’re bound to find plenty of people bemoaning the state of things.
But how much of the criticism is actually fair? The old Inverness I’ve spent a lot of time this year talking to people about how they feel about the heart of the Highland capital. Among the older generation in particular, there seems to be a feeling that our city centre is a pale imitation of how it was 20, 30 or 40 years ago. In many cases, it’s hard to argue.
Because undoubtedly, some things are worse. People fondly remember there being a buzz about the town every weekend. The lead-up to Christmas was a mad time for our shops and Boxing Day sales were a huge deal with big crowds guaranteed.
It doesn’t feel like that anymore. Online shopping has taken a sledgehammer to our retail sector. And an era of credit crunches and cost-of-living crises hasn’t exactly made things easy for the traders that have stuck it out.
How does Inverness stack up against other cities? It’s perfectly valid to point to those things if your argument is that Inverness city centre was infinitely better in 1994. But take a look around. We’re not alone.
The golden era of t.