Name and images revealed for £12.5m Inverness retail development

The “transformative” £12.5 million project aims to breathe new life into Union Street and Baron Taylor’s Street, with building work already in hand, and the venture set for completion in autumn of next year.

The regeneration and renovation project will see six commercial units created, with four on Union Street and two accessed from Baron Taylor’s Street.

Earlier this year the initiative was hailed for its architectural merit due to the proposed “sympathetic” restoration and preservation of listed buildings, with the site also home to one of the earliest steel-framed buildings in Scotland.

Union Court is billed as 'one of the largest retail projects witnessed in the city centre in recent years'. Picture: contributed.

New computer-generated images of the forthcoming retail spaces have been unveiled, showcasing features such as spiral wrought iron staircases linking floors and exposed brick walls.

Union Court will feature the original façade and shopfronts on Union Street, and the existing buildings at 33-41 Baron Taylor’s Street will form a key part of the retail space.

The upper floors of the four-storey development will house 53 new apartments for long-term rental through Highland Council and Highland Housing Alliance.

Those behind the development say the six new retail units are suitable for the likes of cafes. Picture: contributed.

Union Court, developed by Swilken Estates, is billed as one of the largest retail projects witnessed in Inverness city centre in recent years. Its development is expected to secure up to 200 jobs during the construction phase, and Inverness-based IBI Joiners has been appointed as principal contractor.

Swilken Estates’ Stuart Pender said: “Once completed, Union Court will become the most prestigious retail address in Inverness.”

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