Work commences on landmark Union Street retail development

In a huge boost for Inverness city centre, renovation and construction work on the landmark retail development at 7-17 Union Street (the former Arnotts store), has kicked off, with a planned completion date of Q3, 2022. The transformative project will see six new commercial units created, with four on Union Street and two accessed from Baron Taylor’s Street where a wholly new entrance will provide a much needed focal point for the street.

The development from Swilken Estates has garnered praise from leading local figures, who view it as the centrepiece of the regeneration of the city centre. The redevelopment will see the listed buildings on Union Street (1863) and Baron Taylor’s Street (1892) sympathetically restored while inside unique retail and office space will be created.

The upper floors of the four storey building will house 53 new apartments for long term rental through Highland Council and Highland Housing Alliance, providing much needed housing for the city centre. The retail and residential development, which has the full support of the Highland Council, has been hailed by leading figures there as a catalyst for the whole regeneration of the Union Street / Baron Taylor’s Street area.

The retail development, which will restore features such as the original facade on Union Street and shopfront detailing and introduce spiral wrought iron staircases and exposed walls, will connect Union Street to Baron Taylor’s Street, breathing new life into one of Inverness’s most atmospheric thoroughfares. The existing buildings at 33-41 Baron Taylor’s Street, which will form a key part of the retail space, include one of the earliest steel framed buildings in Scotland.