The panel which will choose Europe's City of Culture 2008 has been visiting Inverness and the Highlands, Scotland's sole candidate.

Proposals for a �20m cultural complex and a city square for Inverness were among the plans presented to the panel of judges deciding on the bid.

Inverness Highland 2008 is one of 12 UK bidders for the prize.

Other bidders

Belfast Bradford Birmingham Brighton and Hove Bristol Canterbury and East Kent Cardiff Liverpool Newcastle and Gateshead Norwich Oxford

Sir Jeremy Isaac, chairman of the judging panel, said: "We've come here as a panel with open minds and keen anticipation of hearing from the people here as to what they intend for their city and their region.

"This is our first visit which is why it is particularly exciting for us, but we shall be approaching 11 other cities in exactly the same frame of mind.

"Not until we have seen them all will we be able in any way whatever to make any kind of comment on what we have seen, and then we will get down to the really serious process of selection."

A core element in the bid is a plan for a �20m cultural complex.

Colin Marr, director of the city's Eden Court Theatre, told panel members that a riverside location near the theatre was a preferred option for the complex.

He said the development was part of the bid's proposal to create a cultural quarter in the city between 2004-2007 after the completion of a �6.5m extension to the theatre.

'Bold and imaginative'

The new building would form part of a riverside development which would also see Inverness Castle transformed into a tourism and cultural base.

Mr Marr said: "The bid brought in over 2,000 great ideas, and many of them concerned creating facilities like these in the heart of Inverness.

"This bid is about being bold and imaginative and I think we should be prepared to think ambitiously about what we want to see.

"A city square would be created near the cathedral to become the natural public focus for Inverness.

The proposed new building could house a permanent art collection and visiting exhibitions, a museum, genealogy centre and conference facilities for up to 600 people.