New restaurants planned next to city centre square

REVISED plans to create four restaurants plus a food kiosk in Inverness city centre have been submitted to Highland Council.

The owners of Eastgate Shopping Centre want to carry out the development facing onto Falcon Square

Planning officers previously approved revised plans to change two retail units into three restaurants with new entrances facing on to the square and to install a rooftop plant deck.

A design statement submitted as part of the revised application states the proposed development will create an active and updated frontage for Falcon Square and the surrounding area.

"At present, Falcon Square is predominantly used as a route to Eastgate Shopping Centre, Inverness Station or the Filling Station and could benefit from increased activity," states the document submitted by Pod Architects on behalf of the centre operators.

"It is envisaged that the proposal will help enhance the public realm in Falcon Square, by providing an updated and improved destination for eating out while providing an attractive frontage for the shopping centre."

Plans to develop new restaurants at the shopping centre plus an eight-screen cinema were first approved in 2015.